Arb, Inc.: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Apr 6, 2019: Employee receives finger amputation from crush injury attemp

At 1:30 p.m. on April 6, 2019, an employee worked in a bell hole to assist a Coworker 1 in a ten foot by eight feet by ten-foot trench. Coworker 2 above the employee attempted to grab a face shield and entangled their foot in a propane tank hose. The propane tank fell into the hole and the employee attempted to catch the propane tank to prevent it falling onto Coworker 1. The tank caught the employee's left pinky finger between the ring bottom of the tank and a pipe clamp which caused a crush/amputation injury to the pinky. The employee was hospitalized to reattach the pinky, but after a week medical personnel made the decision to amputate the employee's pinky.

Incident on Dec 12, 2018: Employee lacerates and fractures finger when caught between

At 9:37 a.m. on December 12, 2018, Employee #1 and a coworker, employed by a construction company, were removing a telephone pole at a job site. They were loading cut sections of the pole into the front bucket of a loader/backhoe. Employee #1's left middle finger became caught between a section of pole and the edge of the loader bucket. The employee was transported to the hospital, admitted, and treated for a lacerated and fractured finger.

Incident on Nov 14, 2011: Employee's thumb is crushed by equipment, later is amputated

At approximately 12:50 p.m. on November 14, 2011, Employee #1 and coworkers were involved in a hydrostatic testing project, which required the excavation of a s treet to remove and replace faulty high-pressure valves. A request was given to retrieve an end shore jack in the excavation site. Employee #1 choked a lifting strap around the middle of the end shore jack, where a hook on a backhoe was to be connected. A coworker operated the backhoe. As Employee #1 positioned the hoo k on the strap, the backhoe operator moved the hoist up, which suddenly jerked t he hook and the strap upward. Employee #1's left thumb was caught between the ho ok and the strap, amputating the tip of his thumb. The backhoe operator reported that he could not clearly see Employee #1; however, other employees stated othe rwise. Further, one of the employees stated that Employee #1 was standing on the pipe above the jack being removed, so the top of his head was at the street lev el. After the incident, Employee #1 was transported to a medical center, where h e underwent procedures for finger amputation and was hospitalized for postoperat ive care.

Incident on Mar 30, 2011: Employee's arm is struck by object and fractured

On March 30, 2011, Employee #1, a foreman, was involved with operations to reloc ate a 2,000 lbs rigging dead man control device so that another trade contractor could work in the area. The control device was located in such a manner that th e crane operator could not see it during the rigging and retrieving operation. E mployee #1 instructed the crane operator via a radio to lift the control device a few inches off the ground to take up the slack. The device began to slowly swi ng, and Employee #1 placed his right arm out to stop it. The device struck his a rm and fractured it. Employee #1 was transported to a medical center, where he u nderwent surgical procedures and was hospitalized for post-operative care.

Incident on Feb 23, 2009: Employee is injured in fall from ladder

At approximately 11:30 a.m. on February 23, 2009, an employee was removing and r eplacing combustion-air filters that were mounted on a natural gas fired power g enerating unit's intake module. The employee had just climbed an approximately 1 2-ft high fixed ladder inside the module and stepped away from the self-closing gate. He became dizzy and collapsed at the landing. His body's momentum thrust h im under the gate, and he fell to the landing below contributing to associated h ead laceration injuries. The employee was transported to Kern Medical Center for treatment, where he was hospitalized and treated for head laceration.

Incident on Jul 14, 2009 (fatal): Employee is killed while driving across train tracks

At approximately 3:55 p.m. on July 14, 2009, Employee #1 was working for ARB, In c., a company that specializes in pipeline and related infrastructure constructi on projects, maintenance and repair. He had been working at a site located appro ximately 75 ft north of a private railroad crossing at railroad mile post marker MP1158.9 in Bay Point, California. He was driving a Ford 550 as he left the job site. Amtrak passenger train number 717114 was travelling westbound at 79 mph a s it approached the crossing. The train struck the truck that Employee #1 was dr iving across the tracks. The impact split the Ford F550 into three pieces; the t ruck bed, the chassis and the cab. The truck bed landed approximately 15 ft west of the impact zone, the chassis was an additional 60 ft in the same direction, and the cab was an additional 77 ft west from the chassis. Employee # 1 was ejec ted and landed 30 ft west of the cab. Employee # 1 was airlifted to John Muir Me dical Center. He was pronounced dead at 5:04 p.m. that day.

Incident on Sep 25, 2007 (fatal): Employee falls through unguarded opening and was killed

At approximately 1:05 p.m. on September 25, 2007, Employee #1, an ironworker, wa s working for a company that was constructing a wastewater treatment plant. Empl oyee #1 was installing fiberglass planks in a deck and inadvertently stepped on one of the planks at an unguarded opening. The planks and Employee #1 fell appro ximately nine feet. Employee #1 sustained a concussion and was killed.

Incident on Aug 23, 2007: Employee burned when natural gas line ignites and explodes

On August 23, 2007, Employee #1 was using a welder's torch to repair a natural g as line connection when the gas ignited and exploded. He suffered burns, for whi hc he was hospitalized.

Incident on Aug 25, 2005: Employee is burned by uncontrolled release of acid

On August 25, 2005, an employee and a crew consisting of a supervisor, an operat or, an operator's assistant, an emergency hoseman, was tasked to clean out a blo cked pipeline system carrying 93Sulfuric Acid. All crew members donned the follo wing chemical resistant personal protective equipment: two piece body protection , gloves, boots, face-shield, and hard hat. Lock out-Tag, line isolation, pump s hut down and pressure relief procedures were followed and approved with CalPine' s oversight. Line blockage was found to be in a vertical section, where the high carbon steel line was connected to stainless steel line by a threaded union. As employee applied pressure with two pipe wrenches to loosen the coupling, the pi pe cracked, releasing acid under head pressure. The acid was deflected under the employee's face shield contacting him on the lower left side of his face and ne ck. The employee was drenched by emergency hoseman and subsequently removed to a n emergency shower. The employee was taken to Kern Medical Center, where he was treated and released for second degree chemical burns. The following day examina tion revealed excessive swelling, and the employee was referred to Grossman Burn Center, Sherman Oaks, CA, for inpatient hospitalization. A line blockage and st ructural deterioration was found to be due to corrosion of piping as a result of water contamination in the acid system. Previously, this operation was performe d without incident on two other acid systems. There was no visible condition ide ntified to suspect the pipe was subject to failure. Preoperation planning and pr ocedures were determined to be adequate. There was no evidence which suggests in juries sustained by the employee were the result of violations of Title 8 Safety Orders.

Incident on Apr 11, 2005: Employee's finger is amputated by portable saw

On April 11, 2005, Employee #1, a mason with ARB, Inc., was cutting plywood form s with a hand-held Skil Saw at a power plant construction site. The saw blade ki cked back, causing the saw to lift up. Employee #1 sustained an amputation of un specified finger(s) and was hospitalized for treatment.

Incident on Jan 5, 2005: Employee's hip is crushed by steel shoring plates

At approximately 1:30 p.m. on January 5, 2005, Employee #1 and his foreman were installing a cave-in protection shoring system. He was working in an excavation, approximately 35 ft deep, leveling the bottom soil, when a cave-in pushed over two un-supported steel shoring plates. One of the plates landed on the employee trapping him underneath. Employee #1 sustained serious crushing injuries to his hip and internal organs and was hospitalized.

Incident on Jul 23, 2004: Employee loses balance and falls from ladder

At approximately 1:00 p.m. on July 23, 2004, a carpenter was removing an extensi on ladder from a scaffold. He removed the wiring that had secured the ladder. Th e employee then descended the ladder. He attempted to lower the ladder, but the ladder was still partially attached to the scaffolding. The employee climbed the ladder and clipped the remaining wires. The ladder began to slide because the s ecuring arms on the ladder had become disengaged from the locked position. As a result, the employee lost his balance and fell approximately 15 feet to the conc rete floor below. The employee sustained serious injuries, and he was hospitaliz ed.

Incident on Mar 1, 2003 (fatal): Employee struck and killed by backhoe

On March 1, 2003, Employee #1, a pipe fitter, was working in an excavation below a backhoe that was being used to lift a piece of pipe for the pipe fitters. Whe n the operation was complete the backhoe operator raised his outriggers but had left the backhoe in reverse so when the tires hit the ground, the backhoe fell i nto the excavation striking and killing Employee #1.

Incident on Jan 16, 2003 (fatal): Employee dies when he falls into an elevator shaft

At approximately 7:15 a.m. on January 16, 2003, Employee #1, a sacker, was on th e third-floor elevator lobby on the North East section of a five-story parking l ot. He was grouting a 4-in. gap along the perimeter of an elevator door frame, E levator #1. He was kneeling on top of a rolling metal scaffold platform. He was assigned to pour concrete in the gap around the elevators on the second, third, and fourth floors. He had to pour the concrete in the upper corners of the frame s, approximately 86 inches high. The platform was adjustable and was set at 47 i nches and did not have any guardrail. Employee #1 started filling the upper left hand corner of elevator #1 on the third floor when he noticed that the form was leaking. He stopped and proceeded to work on the upper right hand corner. He la ter checked the back side of the right side form. He kneeled down on the platfor m and bent over to look inside. The depth of the frame was 9 inches. He placed b oth his hands on a two-by-six board that was installed across the width of the d oor to keep the frames plumb as the concrete was curing. The board gave way with his weight, and he lost his balance and he fell 30 ft to the bottom of the elev ator pit. Employee #1 suffered a head trauma, and was hospitalized and died.

Incident on Apr 20, 2001: Employee injured in trench collapse

Employee #1, a foreman, entered an excavation to reposition a bottom jack that h ad been dislodged by an excavator boom. A large amount of rail and the plywood s heeting caved in on him. Employee #1 suffered a fractured pelvis and internal bl eeding and was hospitalized.

Incident on Jun 10, 2000: Employee's face fractured when struck by flying object

Employee #1 and coworkers were repairing a 12 ft gas pipeline valve that neither open nor close fully. After releasing some pressure and removing the cover plat e, Employee #1 saw a bent pin in the gears and shaft assembly. A coworker had ju st turned the valve to the neutral position when the pressure blew off the gears and shaft. Employee #1 was struck in the face, suffering multiple fractures.

Incident on Mar 1, 2000: Employee suffers broke lower leg

At approximately 3:45 p.m. on March 1, 2000, Employee #1 was walking alone aroun d the end of the 8-ft-deep by 6-ft-wide ditch when he fell in and struck his lef t knee on a hydraulic jack supporting the shoring. Employee #1 was looking for a lifting chain when he made a quick turned and stepped at the edge of the trench , then slipped and fell into the trench. Employee#1 failed to make sure of firm footing while walking around the ditch. Employee #1 sustained a fractured left l eg below the knee cap, and was hospitalized. There were no actual witnesses to t he accident.

Incident on Nov 16, 1998: Employee injured while handling a steel pipe

On November 16, 1998, Employee #1, a journeyman pipe fitter, sustained a fractur ed foot, when he attempted to catch a Schedule 10, 20-ft stainless steel pipe th at had walked out of a pipe jack. He was transported to Riverside Community Hosp ital, where the foot was surgically pinned. He remained hospitalized for five da ys. Employee #1 was working alone looking for "sugar" on the inside pipe welds. The rollers were not perpendicular to the pipe and began walking longitudinally. As the rollers walked, the jack began to tilt. The Employer had a written, impl emented procedure for working with pipe jacks. The incident was the result of no t following established protocol by well-trained, seasoned pipe fitter.

Incident on Nov 12, 1997: Employee's back fractured in fall from steel beam

Employee #1 stepped out of a manbasket onto a 7 in. wide steel beam inside a the ater to get a ladder. He was walking on the beam when he slipped and fell 19 ft 4 1/2 in. to the floor, fracturing his back.

Incident on Jul 19, 1997: Two employees injured when tow hook fails

On July 19, 1997, Employees #1 and #2 were riding on the bed of a loaded F-700 f latbed truck at a pipeline project. A Caterpillar D-9 bulldozer was towing the t ruck up a very steep grade The truck had factory-installed tow hooks, and slings connected the hooks to the dozer. In addition to Employees #1 and #2, the truck was also carrying between 200 and 250, 4 by 6 skids, each of which weighed appr oximately 20 lb. The dozer had pulled the truck about 250 ft uphill when the hoo k on the passenger side broke loose, causing the truck to overturn and roll down the hill. Both Employees were thrown off the bed of the truck. They were taken to Henry Mayo Hospital suffering from internal injuries and contusions.

Incident on Mar 5, 1997: Employee injured in fall when ladder moves

At approximately 3:00 p.m. on March 5, 1997, Employee #1 was welding a staircase to access a new loft in the concrete cylinder room in the pile driving yard. He was using a Werner heavy-duty, industrial aluminum extension ladder, which he h ad tied to the I-beam of the loft platform, to reach the work area. At the end o f work, Employee #1 untied the ladder from the I-beam. He was stepping onto the ladder from the loft platform when it slid backward and he fell approximately 5 ft onto the concrete floor. He sustained a fractured skull, a concussion, a frac tured T-12 vertebrae, and a rib contusion. The ladder was neither blocked nor se cured to prevent it from becoming displaced. The employer was cited for a violat ion of T8CCR 1675(j). No supervisor was at the site at the time of accident.

Incident on May 23, 1996 (fatal): Employee killed when run over by tractor trailer rig.

Employee #1 was part of a crew installing of a 5,500 ft underground oil pipeline . He and four or five coworkers were preparing to spread a load of asphalt mix i n the pipeline trench when he suddenly walked backward out of the coned area and into the path of a slow-moving tractor trailer rig. Employee #1 was crushed and killed under the wheels of the trailer.

Incident on Mar 9, 1995: Employee paralyzed when crushed between boom and outrigger

Employee #1, of ARB, Inc., a large engineering contractor in Paramount, CA, had only been working for a few days when he was assigned to clean up a service yard that served as a parking lot for a variety of pieces of construction equipment. Employee #1 and a coworker were using a Case 580K front loader/backhoe combinat ion to pick up trash, scrap, broken pallets, etc. The loader/backhoe was parked with the engine running and no operator at the controls. Employee #1 approached the loader/backhoe from the back, between the boom and one of the raised outrigg ers. He placed a heavy plastic drinking jug on the floor of the cab, inadvertent ly setting it on an uncovered foot pedal that controlled the slewing motion of t he boom. The boom swung around and caught his neck and body between the boom and the foot of the outrigger. Employee #1 was paralyzed from the neck down.

Incident on Aug 20, 1993 (fatal): Employee's legs are crushed by dump truck

At approximately 8:30 a.m. on August 23, 1993, a dump truck driver drove the fro nt wheels of his vehicle over the back of Employee #1's legs and crushed them. A t the time of the accident, Employee #1 was lying on the ground and assisting an other employee to set shoving jacks in one of the trench excavations in the midd le of the street. Employee #1 was transported and admitted to Bay Harbor Hospita l in Lomita, California.

Incident on Jun 14, 1993 (fatal): Employee injured when overloaded crane fails

On June 14, 1993, Employee #1 was standing on a flatbed truck trailer tending th e hook and lifting chain of a Pittman truck-mounted hydraulic crane when the bol ts sheared off. Investigation disclosed that the crane was grossly overloaded in the process of dragging and lifting pipe sections onto the trailer. The crane f ailed as the employee was attempting to drag a sand slurry-filled pipe weighing 8,720 pounds further back on the trailer. The employee was struck by the falling boom, or hit his back on the edge of the flatbed while jumping, or suffered a c ompression fracture when he hit the ground.

Incident on Sep 17, 1992: Employee's thumb amputated by bore pipe

At approximately 2:15 p.m. on September 17, 1992, Employee #1 was adding a secti on of bore pipe to an existing bore pipe. The boring machine was turning the bor e pipe to thread it onto the pipe in the ground. Employee #1 was guiding the tur ning bore pipe. He was wearing a traffic vest, which became wrapped around the r otating bore pipe. He tried to hold the vest from his body, but in doing so, his left thumb was caught between the vest and the pipe. He pulled back his left ar m, causing his thumb to be amputated. Employee #1 was taken to Memorial Hospital , in Bakersfield, CA, and then transferred to UC Irvine for reattachment surgery .

Incident on Jul 12, 1991 (fatal): Employee killed when crushed by rolling steel pipe

Employee #1 was crushed and killed when a 13,000 lb, 36 in. diameter by 80 ft lo ng steel pipe broke from its perch and rolled onto him.