TK Services, Inc.: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Dec 19, 2019: Employee repairing truck refrigeration unit fractures neck a

At 12:30 p.m. on December 19, 2019, an employee was working for a firm that manufactured, provided, and maintained refrigeration and heating units (temperature control units) for trucks, trailers, rail cars, and ocean-going containers. Refrigerated trailers as well as dry vans were serviced and repaired at the facility. The employee was a welding and cutting technician. He worked directly for his employer. He was repairing the external structure of a refrigerated container-style trailer. This structure consisted of metal beams with an open construction that surrounded the refrigeration unit on the trailer. It offered protection to the unit while keeping the trailer dimensions the same as other trailers. The structure had been damaged. The employee was to cut out the damaged part of an upright beam and replace it with an undamaged part. The employee was using a welder and a 12 lb (5.5-kg) sledgehammer. Working from a ladder, he had removed the damaged part of the beam and replaced it. He then spot welded the undamaged section of beam in place. After he had finished the spot welding, he saw that the new beam was not in line. He descended the ladder and tried using a sledgehammer to straighten the beam, striking it well below the spot welds. He was striking the beam at a height of 8 feet, 2 inches (2.49 meters). The beam was 6 in. by 3 in. across and just over 27-1/2 in. long (152 mm by 76 mm by 0.70 meters). After he had struck the beam three times, the spot welds broke. As the employee looked up after the third sledgehammer strike, the falling beam part struck the employee in the head. He suffered a skull fracture and a suspected broken neck. He was transported to the hospital, where he was admitted for treatment. He was hospitalized. The Division was notified at 8:32 p.m. on the day of the incident. The Division arrived at the site to start the inspection on January 2, 2020. Although the employer was cited for two violations, neither was considered accident-related.