UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Abstract: At approximately 3:30 p.m. on November 10, 2010 Employee #1 was working alone from an aerial lift, Make JLG, Model 450AJ Series II, at a height of approximately 15 feet above the ground. His assignment was to paint the exterior awning of a commercial building. Witness #1 exited the building and noticed Employee #1 in the aerial lift, but Employee #1 was not moving and appeared to be slumped over the aerial lift controls and caught between the aerial lift rails and the steel awning structure of the building. Witness #1 went back into the building to summon help for Employee #1. Witness #2 was inside the building and heard that Employee #1 was outside the building in the aerial lift, and that he needed help. Witness #2 proceeded outside to investigate and attempted to communicate with Employee #1 in the aerial lift. Witness #2 climbed the boom of the aerial lift and attempted to move the basket of the aerial lift by manually pushing and pulling the basket of the aerial lift so it would dislodge Employee #1 from between the building and the aerial lift basket rails. Witness #2 stated Employee #1 was pinned by the neck between the aerial lift basket rail located above the control panel and the steel poles that formed the awning structure on the exterior of the building. Witness #2 was able to free Employee #1 from between the building structure and the basket rail of the aerial lift. Employee #1 was wearing a fall protection body harness and a portion of the harness was wrapped around the move/steer joystick lever of the aerial lift and the lever was stuck in the down position. Witness #2 dislodged the fall protection harness from the joystick lever and was able to dislodge Employee #1 from between the structure of the building and the aerial lift basket rail so CPR could be administered. Witness #2 stated he attempted to move the different control levers on the aerial lift but the lift was not running and the movement of the control levers did not activate the aerial lift. Witness #3, a construction worker from across the street, came over to the job site after hearing that Employee #1 was pinned by the aerial lift. Witness #3 went to the aerial lift and started the unit from the ground position. Witness #3 was able to lower the aerial lift basket to the ground where Employee #1 was then removed from the basket of the aerial lift and attended to by rescue personnel. Employee #1 was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead. The autopsy report stated the cause of death was asphyxiation by mechanical compression of the neck and chest. The cause of the accident was determined to be operator error.