UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

At 6:35 p.m. on December 6, 2013, an employee was working full-time for RCA Investments Inc., dba Long Beach BMW Motorcycles. The employer sold, repaired, and serviced BMW motorcycles and sold related apparel as well. At approximately 6:00 p.m. on the day of the incident, the employee began to run a cord set (extension cord) from wreath to wreath to provide electricity to the three Christmas wreaths that were hung on the showroom's second floor overhang, approximately 3.7 meters (12 feet) above the showroom's floor. The employee was using a 3.7-meter (12-foot) A-frame ladder. Standing on the ladder, the employee moved the cord set from the first wreath to the second wreath by throwing the extension cord toward the second wreath. As the cord set landed on the second wreath, it did not hold. It began to fall. The employee saw the extension cord falling and instinctively reached for it. As he reached to his left to catch the cord set, the top of the A-frame ladder was pushed to the right. The ladder fell from underneath the employee, and the employee himself fell to the ground. He landed on his feet, but he then fell back, breaking his right leg (or hip) and left elbow. A coworker who was nearby saw the employee fall. He came over to offer assistance and then called emergency medical services. The Long Beach fire and paramedic squad responded and performed first aid. They transferred the employee to Long Beach Memorial Hospital, where he underwent surgery for a broken hip and elbow. The incident was reported to the Division of Occupational Safety and Health office in Torrance on December 9, 2013.