Case Report from OSHA files
- A 39-year-old painter died after falling 40 feet when a scaffolding suspension rope broke. He was a member of a three-man crew engaged
in the abrasive blasting and painting of the interior of a 48-foot-high, 30-foot-diameter steel water tank. At the time of the accident, the victim was standing on an outer end of the scaffold platform and was
pulling on the suspension rope to raise that end of the scaffold. He fell when the rope broke and his end of the platform dropped to a vertical
position. The victim was not using personal fall protection equipment, although it was available and was being used by a second painter. An
investigation revealed that the 5/8-inch hoist rope broke at a point where it had been burned some time before the incident.
- Two victims and a co-worker were painting the side of a building in San Francisco. They were on a two-point suspension scaffold that did not have
guardrails; the ropes suspending the scaffold were old and had not been inspected; and the employees were not wearing safety belts. When the left
scaffold rope broke and the scaffold collapsed, one employee was killed and another fell to a nearby roof and broke both arms. The co-worker was left
hanging on to the remaining scaffold rope.
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