Inspection Detail

Inspection: 115077166 - Burgess Construction Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Iowa 0751910

Investigation Summary

At approximately 8:30 a.m. on July 11, 1996, Employees #1 and #2 were installing sub-fascia boards on the east side of a three-story apartment complex under construction. They were working from the deck of a pump jack scaffold that consisted of seven poles and jack assemblies along the 90 ft wall, four approximately 16 ft long scaffold planks built for the job, and two approximately 18 ft long 2 by 10 wooden planks used to form the scaffold deck. The seven poles were made from 2 by 4's laid face-to-face and spliced to create a 32 ft pole with 4 in. nominal sides. Employees #1 and #2 were working on opposite sides of, and adjacent to, the center pole when it failed at a large knot that was within 6 in. of a butt splice in the opposing 2 by 4 member. They fell approximately 21 ft to the ground. Employee #1 sustained compression fractures of two vertebrae, bruises to both heels, dislocated ribs, and lacerations; Employee #2 suffered crushed heels and a cracked pelvis.

Keywords: FRACTURE, WORK RULES, CONSTRUCTION, PUMP JACK SCAFFOLD, EQUIPMENT FAILURE, SCAFFOLD COLLAPSE, PELVIS, FALL, ELEVATED WORK PLAT, VERTEBRA