Cal Trans: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Jan 13, 2005: Employee is injured in fall from plank across false-work

On January 13, 2005, Employee #1 was stepping onto a 10-in.-wide plank across fa lse-work during surveying activities. After losing his balance, he fell 6 ft 11 in. onto a bridge soffit under construction. Employee #1 was hospitalized for fr actures of his right leg.

Incident on Oct 27, 2003: Employee injured in fall from pipe

On October 27, 2003, Employee #1 was performing maintenance in a highway pump ho use. At the time of the incident Employee #1 was standing on a 24-inch-diameter pipe attempting to open the pipe's gate valve. The pipe was 4.5 feet off the gro und. Employee #1 attached the wrench onto the gate valve, put his left foot on t he wall and began jerking the pipe wrench. As a result, Employee #1's right foot slipped off the pipe and he fell to the concrete surface below. Employee #1 was hospitalized with a broken fibula/tibia.

Incident on Jul 3, 1998: All terrain vehicle tips over onto employee

At approximately 11:00 a.m. on July 3, 1998, Employee #1 was operating an All Te rrain Vehicle (ATV) for the State of California's Department of Transpiration. S he was in the process of spraying Round Up, a weed killer, attached to the rear of the ATV. The sprayer contained approximately fifty gallons of the herbicide. She was operating the vehicle on a slope and the ATV tipped over on her. She was transported to John Muir Hospital, in Walnut Creek, CA for bruised ribs and sta yed in the hospital for three days.

Incident on Dec 18, 1997 (fatal): Four employees shot and killed by former coworker

Employees #1 through #4 were performing their normal duties when a former cowork er entered the work site and opened fire. All four were shot and killed.

Incident on Aug 15, 1997: Employee's hand lacerated on barbed wire fence

At approximately 9:00 a.m. on August 15, 1997, Employee #1, age 19, was using lo ppers to trim branches near a highway off-ramp. He was holding onto the top of a fence with his right hand and was cutting branches with his left hand. As he wa s moving, his right hand became caught on the barbed wire fence and he suffered a severe laceration between his thumb and index finger. He was treated at La Bre a Community Hospital for two days.

Incident on Mar 10, 1997: Employee's hand lacerated by chain saw

At approximately 10:00 a.m. on March 10, 1997, Employee #1 and five coworkers, o f Cal Trans, were trimming bushes on the side of a freeway near an exit ramp. Th eir assigned tasks included shredding of cut branches in a chipper. One branch w as too big to fit in the chipper and had to be cut into smaller pieces first. To accomplish this, Employee #1 held the branch while a coworker tried to cut it w ith a chain saw. The chain saw kicked back and jumped, striking Employee #1's ri ght hand. She sustained a laceration across the palm of her right hand and was t reated at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, CA.

Incident on May 28, 1993: Employee jumps from stepladder and fractures leg

Employee #1 sustained fractures to his left ankle and right knee when he fell ap proximately 9 feet from a 14 foot stepladder. He was storing a 49 inch long box, which contained electrical lamps, on a 12 foot high shelf. He climbed the ladde r with one hand holding the ladder rail and the other hand holding the package, which rested on his shoulder. When he turned to place the package on the shelf, he lost his balance. To avoid falling on a golf cart that was parked next to the ladder, Employee #1 jumped off the ladder, to the side, and onto the concrete f loor. The impact against the concrete floor fractured his right knee and left an kle.

Incident on Jun 12, 1992 (fatal): One employee killed, one injured in highway traffic accident

At approximately 1:45 p.m. on June 12, 1992, Employee #1 was at a job site, invo lved in his regularly assigned job as a CLMW worker. The employee was standing i n the bed of his crew's stake bed truck, assisting a coworker during a landscape weed loading operation. The landscape crew was parked on the 12 ft westbound sh oulder of Freeway 91. Employee #2, the driver, was in the cab of the truck. The truck was approximately 200 ft east of Gore Point at the end of the Bloomfield o n-ramp when it was struck from behind on the left rear side by another vehicle. At impact, Employee #1 was ejected from the truck bed and was run over by the ve hicle. Employee #1 died at the scene. Employee #2 was transported to Long Beach Memorial Hospital, CA, by paramedics for treatment and medical observation. The coworker, who was loading from the right side, sustained no injuries.