Keystone Engineering: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Nov 25, 2020: Employee fractures leg when struck by falling object

At 11:00 p.m. on November 25, 2020, an employee and coworker were removing a knee, also called an angle plate, from one CNC milling machine to another. Normally an overhead crane would be used to move the knee, but there was no crane available, so the coworker was using a forklift to move the knee. The employee was on the table where the knee was, approximately 4-5 feet off the floor. The coworker was trying to lift the knee with the forklift but could not get the forks completely under the knee. The employee fell backwards off the table and the knee fell on him. The employee suffered a crush injury and fractures to his lower left leg. The employee was taken by the Long Beach Fire Department to St. Mary's Medical Center in Long Beach, where he was hospitalized. Factors causing the accident include a lack of communication between the forklift operator and the employee, and that the knee was being lifted by the forklift without ensuring that the load was balanced, braced, or secured as to prevent tipping and falling.