Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 145659.015 - Employee is killed when crushed by demolished chimney

Accident Summary Nr: 145659.015 -- Report ID: 0950614 -- Event Date: 04/21/2022
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
1591388.015	04/21/2022		238110	Ashish Goyal

Abstract: At 1:15 p.m. on April 21, 2022, a Contractor was hired by a homeowner of a single-story residential property to perform renovations and build an addition to the existing structure. This involved miscellaneous demolition work and construction of foundations and footings, and framing. The employee and a coworker, his son, were assigned to demolish the existing fireplace and indoor BBQ wall and chimney between the kitchen and the living room. These structures consisted of bricks and cement masonry units structurally supported by a wall. The chimney went through the roof. The employee and coworker were demolishing the wall and chimney from the bottom up inside of the kitchen with a rotary hammer. The upper portion of the chimney fell through the composite shingle roof and landed on top of the employee crushing his torso. The chimney was too heavy to lift off of the employee and the homeowner called 911. The Fire Department responded and found the employee unresponsive. The Contractor was not licensed which meant that the homeowner became the employer. The collapse could have been prevented by demolishing the chimney from the top down and structurally supporting it by shoring, bracing, or other effective means. The employee was killed due to the blunt impact and crushing force on his chest, neck, and lower limbs.

Keywords: Back, Blunt force, Blunt force trauma, Bracing, Brick, Chest, Chimney, Collapse, Construction, Crushed, Demolition, Falling Object, Inexperience, Lack of Engineering Controls, Lack of Work Procedures, Leg, Masonry, Masonry Wall, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, Neck, Residential Construction, Shoring, Struck By, Structural Collapse

Accident Details
End Use		Project Type		Project Cost	Stories	Non-building Height	Fatality
Single family or duplex dwelling		Alteration or rehabilitation			1		X

Employee Details
Employee #	Inspection Nr	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Construction
1	1591388.015	56	M	Fatality		Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Demolition Fatality Cause:

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