Jim Dobbas, Inc.: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Sep 17, 1995: Employee's face fractured by flying wood block

At approximately 7:15 a.m. on September 17, 1995, Employee #1, of Jim Dobbas, In c., was at a railyard giving signals to a crane operator. An emergency response crew had responded to a train derailment and was lifting the last car. Because t he usual crane outrigger pad would not fit in the particular location necessary to lift the rail cars, an alternative blocking system, consisting of a tie plate and oak blocks positioned over a rail frog, was used. The outrigger ram was sta bilized on the oak blocks and when the lift was initiated to raise the last rail car, one of the oak blocks split. A piece of the oak block struck Employee #1 i n the face. He was hospitalized with multiple injuries to his face, including a crushed left cheekbone, a broken eye socket cup, and missing teeth.