Inspection Detail

Inspection: 315563288 - Allen Enterprises & Recycling Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Pittsburgh Area Office

Investigation Summary

On Monday, December 19, 2011, an employee was working for a recycling facility. He was walking on an earthen ramp that entered an area where bales of paper were stored. The 20-foot-wide by 75-foot-long (6.1 meters wide by 22.9 meters long) ramp was constructed of built-up earth, which created an uneven and unstable base for the storage of the baled paper. The baled paper was stored outside in the elements, which caused the bale to become wet and top heavy. The uneven bales of recycled paper were stacked three or four high on top of one another, creating a potential falling or collapsing hazard. As the employee was walking along the ramp, a bale of recycled paper collapsed onto him. The bale of recycled paper weighed approximately 1,100 pounds (499 kilograms). It was 28 inches wide by 35 inches high by 85 inches long (0.71 meters wide by 0.89 meters high by 2.16 meters long). The material that collapsed onto the employee had been stacked in its position for more than 2 weeks, causing it to settle and become unstable. A Daewoo Model Number 460 skid steer was loading a 53-foot long (16.2-meter long) trailer. It was loading paper bales from the side of the ramp where the employee was walking. The movement from the loading of the bales may have shifted those in storage. A CSHO later observed and measured ruts in the ramp up to 2 feet deep (0.61 meters deep) caused by rain and snow, poor drainage, and the operation of the Daewoo 460 skid steer. The coroner ruled that the immediate cause of death was blunt force trauma of the chest and abdomen with lacerations.

Keywords: COLLAPSE, WASTE PROC FAC, CRUSHED, LOADER, SLIPPERY SURFACE, STRUCK BY, UNSTABLE SOIL, FALLING OBJECT, WORK SURFACE, UNSTABLE POSITION