OSHA Inspection: MGM GRAND HOTEL AND CASINO

Issued

Feb 9, 2006

Abate by

Feb 14, 2006

Penalty

Initial $4,500 · Current $2,700 Reduced

General-duty citation text

Nevada Revised Statute 618.375(1):  The employer did not furnish
employment and a place of
employment which was free from recognized hazards that were causing or
likely to cause death
or serious physical harm to employees:
The employer failed to ensure that a prop wall was constructed so that if
was stable and would
safely carry the intended load.
a.Located at the MGM Conference Center, three employees (two employees were
in a scissor lift and one employee was working near the wall) were injured
from
a prop wall that tipped over.  There were no engineering specifications
for the
prop wall and MGM Grand Production a division of Entertainment, did not
construct the prop wall so that it would safely handle the intended load.
The prop wall was designed from existing "stage floor platforms".  The
platform
framework was made from assorted sizes of square metal tubing ranging from
1/2
inch to 1 inch.  1/2 inch plywood covered the frame.
The "stage floor platforms" measured 4ft wide X 8ft long X 2 ft deep.  The
platforms were stood up on end and connected by "C" clamps and 2"X 6"
pieces
of lumber to make an 8ft wide X 44ft long wall.  An extra 3ft high
addition was
added to the top of the wall to make the wall a total of 11ft tall X 44ft
long X 2ft
deep.
MGM Grand Production then added shelving to the face of the wall so that
approximately 750 ivy plants could be placed on the wall.  According to
documents received from the MGM after the accident,  MGM Grand Production
estimated the plants being placed on the prop wall would weigh 800 pounds.
However, according to documents received from the MGM and from interviews,
each plant weighed approximately 1.8lbs for a total estimated weight of
1,400
pounds.
To stabilize the prop wall, the six legs of the platform were each weighed
down
with 270 pounds of weight.  The MGM Grand Production department estimated
the total weight for the plates to be approximately 2000 pounds, however
the
actual weight was 1,152lbs.  No other means of anchorage was used.
The plants were stacked from the top to the bottom, covering the entire
wall. The
wall began to tip over from the right to the left.  All three employees
were
working on the left side of the wall.  As the wall tipped over, the wall
hit the
scissor lift, throwing employee's #2 and #3 who were working in the lift
bucket
to the ground.  Employee #1 was working near the wall, and was trapped by
the
tipped over wall and the overturned scissor lift.  All three employees were
transported to the hospital.
One feasible means of abatement would be to have a qualified engineer
design and approve any
plans prior to building or loading of a prop wall.