Accident: 200210219 - Killed When Struck By Casing Tongs

At approximately 2:00 p.m. on April 2, 1997, Employee #1 and coworkers on his crew had pulled 21 joints and were laying the pipes on the pipe rack when they heard a snapping sound. The 5 1/2 in. side door elevator suddenly opened and released a pipe. It struck Employee #1 on the back of the head and forced him up against the bolts. He was struck by the tongs on the work platform and sustained severe trauma to his forehead and to the left side of his head. Employee #1 was killed. The elevator had a chain and hook but no safety latch to prevent it from opening. The elevator had tension as the pipe angled and turned over where the safety chain came off. The pressure caused the side door elevator to open up, releasing the pipe that struck Employee #1.

oil well servicing, elevator, mech malfunction, struck by, head, tongs, work rules, forehead, unsecured, safety latch

Accident: 200960250 - Injured In Fall When Stepladder Footing Slips

Employee #1 was on an enclosed 8 ft fiberglass stepladder approximately 35 ft above the ground, repairing the outer cornice of the mansion at Camp Fettered. The ladder's footing was placed in the mansion's gutter while the top end was placed against the building. The footing slipped and Employee #1 and the ladder fell to the ground. Employee #1 suffered multiple sprains and contusions throughout his body, and a severe cut to his forehead from a metal sign on the driveway.

construction, work rules, repair, unsecured, forehead, fall, stepladder, slip, laceration, fall protection

Accident: 14367841 - Dies Of Blood Clot Following Head Injuries

On September 19, 1996, Employee #1 was engaged in a motorcycle handlebar polishing operation. The dual head polisher pedestal stand was a Hammond/Charles La Hammedieu, W0-20A lathe, equipped with a #320J grit cloth abrasive coated flap wheel (2 in. by 12 in. Shaeffer, Brad/Barrett). A coworker in the area said that he was standing behind Employee #1 when the handlebar was suddenly thrust downward and around the lathe's flap wheel, emerging at the top and striking Employee #1 in the forehead. Employee #1, who sustained a deep (2 in.) laceration above the hairline, was transported to a hospital, where he died at 11:00 a.m. on September 26, 1996, of a blood clot. The coworker said that the left vertical side shield portion of the lathe's exhaust ventilation hood was not in place, though he had told Employee #1 the day before that the shield should be in place. Considering the curvature/configuration of the handlebar, its contact with the flap wheel, and the resultant drag on the workpiece, it is quite possible that the handlebar could be swept around the flap wheel. This conclusion corroborates the coworker's statement. The exhaust ventilation hood configuration at the time of the fatality was not in compliance with 29 CFR 1910.94 (b)(4)(v), figure G-4; however, the plating firm was devastated by fire on October 7, 1996, and it cannot be proven that exposure limits were exceeded as specified in 29 CFR 1910.94(b)(3), which would have required compliance with suitable exhaust ventilation in the first place. There are no OSHA regulations to cover guarding in polishing operations. The employer is considering installing a bumper/stop block at the underside of the wheel and, in the interim, has instructed operators to wear head protection.

lathe, unguarded, struck by, forehead, laceration, blood clot, circulatory blockage, entangled, flying object, work rules

Accident: 200020113 - Killed When Exploding Tire Strikes Forehead

Employee #1 was removing a split-rim tire from a dump truck when the tire exploded, striking him in the forehead. He was killed.

explosion, dump truck, multipiece rim wheel, forehead, high pressure, tire, air pressure, flying object, construction, struck by

Accident: 170190763 - Forehead Cut By Flying Crankshaft

At approximately 2:15 p.m. on March 21, 1996, Employee #1 was working on grinder #28735. A piece of the metal crankshaft broke off or was knocked off the machine's rotating spindle due to pressure from the grinding wheel after it overtraveled horizontally while in operation. The approximately 15 lb metal piece struck Employee #1 on the forehead, resulting in a deep laceration. The guard on the saw was only 6 in. tall, and did not extend up to face level. It was replaced by a larger, more appropriate guard after the accident.

laceration, work rules, forehead, grinder, flying object, grinding wheel, struck by, guard

Accident: 171048358 - Two Injured When Curing Press Explodes .

On March 3, 1996, Employee #1 was operating a curing press, #M09, and Employee #2 was on a forklift in front of the press when the press exploded. Employee #1, who was standing by an electrical panel box, turned right and ran into an orange tire rack. He sustained an abrasion on his forehead. Employee #2 suffered burns to her lips and forehead, and first-degree burns to her chest and neck. She was transported to the hospital, where she was treated and then returned to the plant.

high pressure, explosion, struck against, abrasion, forehead, burn, face, pressure vessel, ind trk operator, pressure release

Accident: 900480 - Killed When Struck By Falling Automotive Rack

On February 23, 1996, Employee #1 was preparing to use an Allis Chalmers 940 wheel loader with fork attachment to remove one side of a 16 ft long by 19 in. wide by 7 ft 7 in. high automotive rack. He drove up to the rack, lowered the forks to the ground, and dismounted the machine. The heavy gauge metal rack had been up for about two months and the area around each of the 8 1/2 in. diameter heavy metal pipe legs had been frozen, thawed, and exposed to heavy rains. The legs were set approximately 2 ft in the ground, and 2 by 6 wooden braces were angled up from the ground on either side of the rack. When Employee #1 removed the wooden braces, the rack fell over onto him, striking him on the forehead above his right eyebrow and inflicting a deep gash. He was killed.

struck by, falling object, steel beam, unsecured, forehead, laceration

Accident: 170903173 - Injured When Struck By Falling Metal Cone

Employee #1 was welding on a suspended 800 lb cylindrical cone that was supported by hoisting chains welded to three pairs of vice grips that were evenly distributed around the cylinder. One pair of vice grips snapped loose, causing one side of the cone to fall and strike Employee #1. He sustained a 2 in. laceration on his forehead, contusions, and minor lacerations on both arms. Employee #1 was taken to Presbyterian Hospital, Whittier, CA, where he was treated and released after approximately three hours.

welding, hoisting mechanism, broken weld, falling object, struck by, laceration, forehead, contusion, unsecured, work rules