Inspection Detail

Inspection: 108430034 - Brocker Rebar Company, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation Division Of Labor And Industry Maryland Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

A MAINTENANCE WORKER TOLD A COWORKER (THE ONLY OTHER EMPLOYEE ON THE SITE) THAT HE GAS GOING TO CHECK THE CRANE RAIL ON AN OVERHEAD CRANE THAT WAS ABOUT 80 FEET AWAY FROM THE EMPLOYEES. A LADDER PROVIDED ACCESS TO THE CRANE RAILS AND RUNWAY CONDUCTORS. THIS LADDER WAS AN INDIVIDUAL RUNG LADDER WELDED ONTO A 10-INCH-BY-14-INCH COLUMN. THE 20 RUNGS COMPRISING THE LADDER WERE 1 INCH IN DIAMETER, 12.375 INCHES LONG, AND 12 INCHES APART. THE RUNGS PROVIDED A TOE CLEARANCE OF 3.5 INCHES. THERE WERE TWO SETS OF RUNWAY CONDUCTORS (ONE SET FOR EACH OF TWO CRANES) INSTALLED ABOVE THE LADDER. THERE WAS ONE SET OF CONDUCTORS ON EACH SIDE OF THE LADDER, AND THE TWO SETS WERE 16 INCHES APART. THE BOTTOM CONDUCTOR IN EACH SET WAS 30 INCHES ABOVE THE TOP RUNG OF THE LADDER AND WAS 22.5 FEET ABOVE THE FLOOR. THE MAINTENANCE WORKER HAD NOT DEENERGIZED THE RUNWAY CONDUCTORS BEFORE CLIMBING THE LADDER. A FEW MINUTES AFTER THE TWO EMPLOYEES HAD TALKED, THE COWORKER HEARD THE MAINTENANCE WORKER CALL HIS NAME, AS IF HE WERE UP IN THE AIR NEEDING HELP. AS HE RAN TO HELP, THE COWORKER HEARD A THUD. WHEN HE GOT TO THE CRANE AREA, HE FOUND THE MAINTENANCE WORKER LYING ON THE CONCRETE FLOOR IN FRONT OF THE LADDER. APPARENTLY, THE MAINTENANCE WORKER, WITHOUT USING PERSONAL FALL ARREST EQUIPMENT, HAD CLIMBED TO THE TOP OF THE LADDER, HAD TOUCHED A RUNWAY CONDUCTOR, HAD RECEIVED AN ELECTRIC SHOCK, AND HAD FALLEN TO THE FLOOR. THE EMPLOYEE WAS HOSPITALIZED WITH HEAD AND BACK INJURIES AND AN ELECTRICAL BURN ON HIS HAND. HE DIED OF HIS INJURIES 4 DAYS LATER.

Keywords: E GI IV, ELECTRICAL, LADDER, RUNWAY CONDUCTOR, LOCKOUT, ELECTRIC SHOCK, FALL, FALL PROTECTION