UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

On July 21, 1998, Employee #1, a structural steel erection contractor, and a coworker were connecting steel beams at the top of 40 ft columns on a multiple-story structural steel building at Mather Air Force Base. They had finished placing the 30 ft long beams in one bay and were moving to a new bay as a crane brought in the next beam. The coworker placed a bolt in the connection and was bent over preparing to place the second bolt when Employee #1 stepped over him and onto the new beam. He started across the suspended beam to connect the opposite end to a free standing column. Witnesses said he had taken one step onto the beam and was stepping down onto the lower flange to "coon" across the beam when he fell approximately 40 ft to the ground. Employee #1 sustained multiple fractures, head injuries, and various internal injuries; CPR was administered at one point when he stopped breathing and his heart stopped beating. He was flown by Life Flight to the U.C. Medical Center in Sacramento, CA. . Employee #1 was not using any form of fall protection and he was crossing a beam that was still suspended from the crane and therefore unstable.