Parsec, Inc.: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on May 18, 2012: Employee fractures leg when truck falls over

At about 9:40 p.m. on May 18, 2012, Employee #1, a Yard Driver with Parsec, was parking trucks in order to move the truck trailers to the appropriate lots for t ransfer. The load in the trailer shifted. This caused the truck trailer to turn over. Employee #1 was hospitalized with a fractured leg.

Incident on Aug 7, 2009: Employee's finger is crushed between containers

At approximately 5:30 p.m. on August 7, 2009, Employee #1 was assisting a crane operator, the accident witness, in moving a 53-foot container on top of another container, at Track 117. Employee #1 locked the "IBC" (apparently intermediate b ulk container) and began walking towards the well car ladder, while holding onto the grounding bar. He had placed both hands in between the containers to sustai n his balance. The crane operator lost sight of Employee #1 and assumed he had a lready climbed off the well car. When the crane operator began raising the east end of the container, the container tilted and crushed Employee #1's right hand in between it and the other container. Employee #1's finger was apparently amput ated, and he was hospitalized. The Division determined that the accident was cau sed by both Employee #1 and the crane operator failing to follow standard operat ing procedures. Employee #1 should not have placed his hands in between the cont ainers at any time, and the crane operator should not have moved the crane until he could see that Employee #1 had cleared the well car. The Division did not is sue a citation to the employer.

Incident on Oct 29, 2007: Employee is injured when truck overturns

At approximately 9:15 p.m. on October 29, 2007, Employee #1 was working as a shu ttle driver for Parsec, which was an incorporated company that transports cargo containers by railroad. Prior to the accident, Employee #1 had just picked up a 53-foot container from a customer and had returned to the terminal. The containe r was loaded with six rolls of paper, with a gross weight of about 6,000 lbs. ea ch. Another truck driver, employed by JB Hunt, was proceeding through yard at th e time and witnessed the accident. Employee #1 was attempting to make a U-turn s o that he could back into a vacant space and park. At this point, the container flipped on its side, lifting the cab of the truck, and then slamming it to the g round. The paper rolls inside the container had shifted toward the driver's side while the U-turn was being made, causing the container to lose balance and tipp ing it over to its side. Employee #1 was hospitalized with a concussion.

Incident on Nov 15, 2006: Employee injures finger in container handling operation

At approximately 1:00 a.m. on November 15, 2006, Employee #1, a grounds keeper f or a company that loads and unloads large shipping containers for the railroad i ndustry, was working with a coworker to load shipping containers onto rail cars. The company's operations include the use of container trucks for moving truck c hassis, industrial trucks and rubber-tired gantry cranes for loading and unloadi ng containers from trucks and railcars. Employee #1 had worked for the employer for about 2.5 months. Following the completion of loading the first layer of con tainers and beginning the loading of a second layer, Employee #1 was on the grou nd unlocking containers to be hoisted by his coworker, who was operating a Taylo r rubber-tired gantry crane, Serial Number, S-F7-30144. As the coworker loaded a container onto a railcar and positioned his crane over a container, weighing 32 ,751 lbs., Employee #1 locked the twist locks on the load block of the crane int o the container. Employee #1 then walked to the truck's chassis to unlock a cont ainer from the truck, which could only be freed by releasing two twist locks at the back of the chassis. He unlocked the twist lock on the left and then proceed ed to release the lock on the right, where visual contact was obstructed between Employee #1 and the crane operator. While attempting to unlock the second twist lock, the container became unstable, rocking back and forth. Employee #1's left index finger became crushed between the chassis and the container. The accident investigation determined that the accident was caused by the container being li fted from the truck chassis, while Employee #1 was out of site attempting to unl ock the container. Both Employee #1 and his coworker were trained by the employe r in safe lifting operations. However, there were no additional methods of commu nication, such as a radio, requiring Employee #1 and his coworker to solely rely on visual communication and hand signals.

Incident on Mar 4, 2006: Employee amputates finger when caught between containers

At approximately 10:15 p.m. on March 4, 2006, Employee #1, a groundsman, and a c oworker were assisting a crane operator in unloading containers at Track Number 113. Employee #1 was unlocking two 53-ft containers. There are four twist-locks located at each corner, latching the container and the chassis, when in the lock position. The twist-lock must be manually unlocked before the container can be lifted from its chassis onto the track. Employee #1 was standing on the railcar on one side, while the coworker was on the other side, both attempting to unlock the twist-lock at the corners. The coworker gave the crane operator a "thumbs u p" signal to hoist from his side. The operator proceeded to raise the container, while Employee #1 was standing where he could not be seen from the crane operat or's cab. The crane operator lifted the container and pinched Employee #1's left hand between the containers as it tilted. One of his fingers was amputated. He was not hospitalized for his injury.

Incident on Apr 28, 2003: Employee injured while working with crane

At approximately 5:45 p.m. on April 28, 2003, Employee #1, a grounds man for a c argo transporting company, was making his rounds. The cargo is transported by ra il and utilizes hoisting equipment such as container handling yard cranes and ru bber tired gantry cranes. During his rounds, Employee #1 assisted a crane operat or to load 20-foot containers onto a track. The containers were secured together by twist-locks located at each corner. For some reason, two adjacent containers were stuck together. Employee #1 noticed that one of the twist-locks was still engaged. He attempted to release the lock, but got his right arm caught between the tongue, Serial Number: PONZ251046, and the tire, Serial Number: YMLZ280680, of the chassis. Employee #1 was hospitalized and treated for his injury. A detai led investigation determined that the accident was due to a lack of visual conta ct and positive communication between the grounds man and the crane operator. Em ployee #1 was working in the crane operator's blind site and despite the lack of visual or verbal communication, the operator lifted the container.

Incident on Nov 6, 2002: Employee suffers crushing injury to thumb

At approximately 5:45 p.m. Employee #1 was assisting a crane operator to load ou tbound containers on track Number 114. The crane operator was operating crane Nu mber 23 at the time, attempting to lift unit NCGU289335 off of chassis LSFZ14664 1. The company utilizes hoisting equipment such as over head cranes as a means t o hoist containers on and off the railroad tracks. Employee #1 attempted to unlo ck a twist lock located on the right rear side of the chassis. The twist lock ja mmed and would not unlock. On the third attempt by Employee #1 to unlock the twi st lock with a grounding bar, the crane operator thought he had received a hand signal from the ground man to lift the container. As the container was raised, E mployee #1's finger became pinned between the frame of chassis and the twist loc k handle. The accident was caused by the lack of visual contact and positive com munication between Employee #1 and the crane operator. Employee #1 had been bloc ked from the operators view by the container when the crane operator activated t he lifting mechanism. The crane operator did not see Employee #1 when he raised the container. Employee #1 suffered the amputation of his thumb. Employee #1 was treated for his injury but was not hospitalized.

Incident on Nov 19, 2002: Employee burned in fire

At approximately 10:00 a.m., Employee #1, a truck shop supervisor with Parsec In corporated was working with a mechanic in the truck shop. Parsec is company that transports cargo containers by the railroad across the country. They utilize ho isting equipment such as overhead cranes to hoist containers on and off the rail road tracks. The mechanic was using a blow torch to make holes in an angle iron on a work bench when a spark went into an open plastic container filled with gas oline located about 10 feet away. Employee #1 walked by and saw the plastic cont ainer engulfed in flames. He attempted to move the container out of the way by k icking it with his foot. As soon as the contact was made, the gasoline splashed onto Employee #1's clothing and lit on fire. The mechanic saw what happened and used a portable fire extinguisher nearby to put out the fire as Employee #1 roll ed on the floor. Employee #1 sustained burns to his face and hands and was trans ported to Santa Marta Hospital where he was hospitalized for his injuries. The a ccident was caused by lack of hazard awareness by the employees when utilizing a cutting torch in the work area where flammable liquids are present or nearby. T he employer did not establish and implement a fire prevention and suppression pr ocedure relative to the use of cutting and welding equipment in the truck repair shop. Employee #1 did not inspect the work area for any flammable liquids befor e permitting the mechanic to use a cutting torch. In addition, the employer did not ensure that the employees were suitably trained in the safe operation of tor ch cutting and the safe use of the cutting process.

Incident on Jun 16, 2002: Employee suffered injuries after being ejected from truck

On June 16, 2002, Employee #1 was working for Parsec, a business that loads and unloads commercial containers in a railroad yard. Employee #1, a Hostler Driver, was backing a filled 40-ft Yang Ming container in a southwest direction into an angled stall (# 523) in lot 3, row 3 of the facility. The employee was in the d river's seat of a hydraulic fifth-wheel hostler vehicle, identification number 0 12016. The hostler was at an approximate 90-degree angle to the 40-ft container. As a result, the container fell to its right side, lifting the hostler in an up ward direction causing it to land on its right side, as well. Employee #1 was ej ected from his seat and out of the cab and suffered head, back, arm, and leg inj uries. Employee #1 was hospitalized. A factor that contributed to this accident was while backing up into space, the employee turned at a 90-degree angle, which unbalanced of the load.

Incident on May 28, 2002: Employee suffers amputation

Employee #1 attached a 0.375-in. air line to dispense hydraulic oil to a crane. Employee #1 sustained amputation injuries to the right middle finger when the un guarded air motor piston for an air actuated lubrication pump descended on the f inger. Employee #1 was hospitalized.

Incident on Mar 9, 2002 (fatal): Employee injured when he fell into pit

At about 11:30 a.m. on March 9, 2002, Employee #1 working as an experienced slit ter operator for 20 years was going to pick a piece of 0.75-inch diameter pipe, when he tripped on a small platform (18 by 105 inches and 4 inches high from the ground) as he was bending down. Employee #1 fell forward into the pit head firs t. Employee #2 rushed into the pit, climbing down on the rails around the pit. ( The rails were 8 inches in depth at intervals of 41.25 inches from the top to th e bottom of the pit.) Employee #3 rushed to the supervisor's office to notify hi m and ask him to call an emergency response team. When Employee #2 reached the b ottom of the pit, he found the employee lying on the side with his head face dow n and resting on his forearms. He was unconscious and shivering. Employee #2 sta yed in the pit until the paramedics arrived. The injuries sustained, as the resu lt of the exposure, were a broken neck, a large laceration to the back of Employ ee #1's head, and multiple skull fractures. He died of his injuries.

Incident on Sep 13, 2001: Employee amputates fingers while loading containers

At approximately 11:00 p.m. on September 13, 2001, Employee #1, an experienced g roundman, was assigned to do ground work for the crane operator on Track Number 114. While Employee #1 was securing the interbox connectors from a previously lo aded container, the operator moved the crane east to the next well (FEC 4482, a single well car) and began loading SFTU 281092 onto NCRU 270660. According to th e operator, he saw Employee #1 on top of the railcar on the west side and procee ded to load the container. At some point and time, Employee #1 repositioned from one platform onto the FEC platform. Employee #1 placed his left hand on top of the loaded container for stability, while the operator was positioning the suspe nded load. Suddenly, the operator picked the front end of the unit, causing the tail end (on the side of Employee #1) to come down, amputating his left ring mid dle and index fingers. Employee #1 was transported to Santa Marta Hospital.

Incident on Aug 5, 2000 (fatal): Employee killed when crushed between containers in rail yard

At approximately 2:00 p.m. on August 5, 2000, Employee #1, a groundsman, was wor king between a blue container (#POCU0243635, CA license plate #IWK8601) that was placed atop a yellow OOCL chassis (#00LZ25595), and a green container (CA licen se plate #UUN5076) that was on chassis # EMZG8453426. A coworker was operating a MiJack gantry crane, model MJ100R, serial #40-G7A-120 and had just loaded a 20 ft container onto a well rail car. After dropping the container, the operator ra ised the boom of the gantry crane to a position that he thought was safe and sta rted to travel right to pick up the next container to be loaded. When he moved, the lifting arm, which was in its retracted position, struck the container and c hassis and dragged it forward approximately 3 ft. Employee #1 was working betwee n the back and front of two containers and he became pinned at chest level betwe en the 46 in. tall container and the adjacent 40 3/8 in. tall chassis. Employee #1 was given CPR by a coworker until the paramedics arrived. He was transported to Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The cont ainers were attached to the chassis by IBC connectors that allowed them to be sh ifted with or without the chassis. Employee #1 had been hired two weeks before t he accident and trained for three days. He had been recommended by the trainer t o perform the duties of a groundsman.

Incident on Mar 17, 2000: Employee's foot is crushed under hitch

At approximately 6:00 a.m. on March 17, 2000, Employee #1, a grounds man, workin g with another grounds man and a crane operator were attempting to load two 45 f t trailers onto a center hitch (Model Number LP-35A) on the RTTX 970015 railcar located on track 3854 east end. In order to load the trailers the center hitch h ad to be lowered. A sledgehammer is used to impact a spring-loaded pin that lock s the hitch and keeps it in a vertical position, but one was not available. Empl oyee #1 grabbed a short ground bar and stated that he could lower the hitch with it. Meanwhile the crane operator had called a supervisor to bring the sledgeham mer. The other grounds man told him to wait for the sledgehammer and left. Sudde nly the other grounds man heard the hitch coming down. He rushed back onto the t railer and realized that the hitch had come down on Employee #1's left foot. Emp loyee #1's first toe was amputated and a partial amputation occurred to his seco nd and third toes. He was hospitalized.

Incident on Nov 25, 1999: Employee's leg amputated by falling shipping container

Employee #1 was working with a crane operator to unload the top containers of a double stack from a rail car to a truck chassis. Employee #1 was unlocking the t hird container when the second container fell from the crane and crushed his rig ht leg against the bottom container. He was transported to the hospital, where h is leg was amputated below the knee. Employee #1 worked for a contractor that ha ndled railcar containerized freight.

Incident on Aug 19, 1999: Employee injured when struck by truck during jump start

At approximately 3:00 p.m. on August 19, 1999, Employee #1, of Parsec, Inc., was helping his supervisor jump start the battery of pickup truck #94501 when the v ehicle lurched forward, pinning Employee #1 against a railing. He suffered traum a to his left hip and leg and was hospitalized for four days at Queen of the Val ley Hospital in West Covina, CA. At the time of the accident, the truck was in n eutral gear and the wheels were not chocked.

Incident on Feb 13, 1999: Employee's fingers amputated in hitching operation

On February 13, 1999, a hand-crushing accident occurred at Parsec, Inc., Los Ang eles, CA. Employee #1, a grounds man, stated that at the beginning of the work d ay a meeting was conducted with him, the crane operator, and the supervisor. Emp loyee #1 was informed about his duties at the meeting. On day of accident Employ ee #1 was in the process of lowering a hitch weighing approximately 80 to 100 lb s on a trailer when the hitch got caught on the trailer. Employee #1 attempted t o lift the hitch using his hand, instead of utilizing the screw gun supplied for this process. His fingers were caught between the top of the flat bed trailer a nd the bottom of the hitch that was released and fell to trailer bed. Employee # 1 sustained a partial amputation of the middle and ring fingers of the right han d. He was hospitalized. Employer supplied training records and supervision recor ds, IIPP, Code of Safe Practices for the hitching operations, and Employee #1's training records. Through interviews with employees and the union representative it was noted that this type of accident had not occurred in the past and no com plaints regarding this method of hitch rising was brought to the attention to th e union or employer.

Incident on Dec 9, 1998: Trailer pins employee breaking his leg

Employee #1, working for a lift contractor for loading and unloading containers onto railroad flat-beds, was in the process of hooking a hitch chain onto a trai ler and loading the trailer onto a railroad car (Number 3851) utilizing a Taylor crane (Number 23). Employee #1, the ground man, had hooked the chain to the hit ch. He went to the other side of the trailer to attach the hitch chain. The trai ler was too high so the crane operator lowered the trailer so the Employee #1 co uld hook the chain to the hitch. The trailer nose began to lower. The arms of th e crane were not at the proper lift points on the trailer resulting in the crane 's spreader to be hung over the front of the trailer being lifted. This caused t he front of the trailer to move and come down on top of the ground man, pinning Employee #1 between the bottom front of the trailer and the railcar. Employee #1 sustained fractures to the left knee, tibia, and ankle and was hospitalized.

Incident on Jun 24, 1996: Employee's fingertip amputated when caught in container

At approximately 11:35 a.m. on June 24, 1996, Employee #1 was unloading a contai ner from a chassis when the chassis moved. His right middle finger became caught between the hole and the twist locking pin, amputating the tip. Employee #1 was taken to Lemas Medical Clinic, where he was treated and released after two hour s.

Incident on Sep 21, 1996: Employee's finger amputated between hostler and mobile crane

Employee #1 worked for Parsec, Inc., a company with 2,300 employees who load and unload train cargo in containers known as IBCs. On September 21, 1996, he was a ssigned to remove the ties between two rail containers from the track. As was cu stomary, he used a hostler tractor to get from one location to the other to comp lete the job more quickly. Employee #1 was removing the ties when he noticed a m obile overhead crane moving toward his parked yard tractor. He immediately went toward the crane but it did not stop until it hit the tractor. His left hand bec ame caught between the wheel guard and the tractor, amputating his left index fi nger. The employer reported the accident to the Division on September 23, 1996, and an inspection and accident investigation was made on October 3, 1996. Violat ions were found in relation to the accident. The employer was cited for a seriou s violation of T8CCR 3203(a) for failure to provide (1) instruction, training, a nd enforcement in the proper procedure of removing and taking off IBC ties; (2) clear communication between the crane operator and ground man; and (3) appropria te training in stopping the crane and checking blind spots.

Incident on Feb 11, 1995: Employee injured in 11 ft fall from ladder

On the day of the accident, Employee #1, of Parsec, was being trained by a cowor ker, a mechanic, to repair and maintain Mi-Jack rubber-tired gantry cranes. On e ach side of the cranes, which have a 100,000 lb load capacity, are machinery pla tforms. One platform is 10 ft 6 in. high; the other is 19 ft high. After Employe e #1 and the coworker checked the hydraulics on the lower platform, the coworker climbed to the higher platform. As Employee #1 started to climb to the higher p latform, he fell when he was approximately 11 ft high. He suffered multiple frac tures and was hospitalized. The crane's access ladder was caked with grease. Emp loyee #1 has no specific memory that this condition was a factor in his fall. He does remember releasing his right hand before grabbing the ladder's next rung w ith his left hand. Employee #1 had received training on how to safely climb ladd ers.

Incident on Nov 28, 1994 (fatal): Employee killed between yard tractor and trailer

At approximately 8:25 p.m. on November 28, 1994, Employee #1, of Parsec, was wor king at the Southern Pacific Railroad Terminal in Fresno, CA. He was riding behi nd the cab of a 1988 capacity Trailer Jockey yard tractor that was being driven by a coworker. They were spotting trailers to load them onto a railcar. A traile r separated from the tractor and the momentum of the trailer allowed it to run i nto the cab. It struck and crushed Employee #1, killing him.