Accident Report Detail
Accident Summary Nr: 202463147 - Employee Falls from Ladder and Later Dies
| Inspection Nr | Date Opened | SIC | NAICS | Establishment Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300832896 | 02/03/2006 | 1711 | 238220 | Climate Changers, Inc. |
Abstract: On February 3, 2006, Employee #1 and a coworker were working as an installer and were assigned to lower a "VAV" box. The "VAV" box had been installed in the ceiling on the previous day, and the foreman indicated that it needed to be lowered several inches. Employee #1 and the coworker climbed up on 10-ft. step ladders located at each end of the VAV box. The VAV box measures 7-ft-3-in. long by 17.5-in. tall by 20-in. wide. The VAV box had wire hangers at each of the four corners. The wire hangers are part of the "Hilti" clip-and-pin fasteners which are used to install the VAV boxes and other air conditioning equipment in the ceiling. The coworker began to unwrap the wire hanger at one corner of the VAV box using a "Hilti" powder-actuated gun with a pole extension. According to the coworker, when he unwrapped the corner closest to him, the VAV box suddenly dropped from that end, swung down and across, and knocked Employee #1 off his ladder. Employee #1 fell approximately 6 ft from the ladder to the concrete floor, hitting his head and causes a fatal injury. It was determined that the "Hilti" pin-and-clip fastener failed, allowing the pin head to become detached from the pin stem and pulled through the bracket hole, allowing the VAV box to drop down at one end. Employee #1 was taken to the hospital, where he died of "traumatic brain injury" on February 4, 2006.
| End Use | Project Type | Project Cost | Stories | Non-building Height | Fatality | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial building | Alteration or rehabilitation | Under $50,000 | 4 | X | |||
| Employee # | Inspection Nr | Age | Sex | Degree of Injury | Nature of Injury | Occupation | Construction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 300832896 | Fatality | Fracture | Sheetmetal duct installers | Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: 6 feet Cause: Installing equipment (HVAC and other) Fatality Cause: Fall from/with ladder |
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