Inspection Detail

Inspection: 986095.015 - Red Wing Electric Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation Division Of Labor And Industry Maryland Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

At 2:30 p.m. on March 19, 2014, a tower crew was tasked with repairing and/or replacing a Remote Radio Head (RRH) located on top of a water tower. The RRH to be replaced was an 800 MHZ unit located on the north side of the tower. It was mounted onto a circular structure built onto the tower sometimes referred to as the "outer halo". The RRH that was to be replaced was mounted on the outside of the outer halo, low on its post near the deck of the water tower tank. Replacing the unit required hauling a new RRH to the top of the tower, disconnecting and removing the old unit from its cradle, lowering the old unit down to ground level, and installing the new RRH into the cradle and connecting the necessary wires. According to employee statements, the employee replaced the RRH but did not solve the original problem. After a break was taken for bad weather, the employee returned to the top of the tower to clean and test the fiber optic cables which connect to the RRH. According to employee statements this still did not solve the problem with the RRH. The foreman told the employee to return to ground level to obtain additional tools/materials to investigate the problem. Employee statements indicate that the employee acknowledged the foreman's instructions and said he would come down from the tower. Witnesses said it was soon thereafter that the employee fell from the tower. The employee was found wearing a full-body harness equipped with twin-leg 6-foot lanyards. Also found attached to the harness was a Petzl Grillon positioning device. Upon inspection of this fall protection equipment, no damaged or defective components were found. The harness and lanyard were attached together properly and no damage was observed (other than cuts to the harness made by fire department personnel) to the harness or lanyard. Furthermore, each of the twin legs of the lanyards were found attached to the harness. The significance of the lanyard legs being attached back to the harness indicates that the lanyard was not being used at the time the fall occurred. The employee fell approximately 102 feet 6 inches from the water tower and sustained fatal injuries as a result of the fall.

Keywords: Fall, Fall Protection, Water Tower