Inspection Detail

Inspection: 119532596 - Dance Brothers Inc.

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

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 and a coworker were stripping metal forms from poured concrete columns. The forms were 8 ft 8 in. by 2 ft by 1 ft 4 in. and the ribs were 12 in. apart with 2 3/8 in. tread. One column remained to be stripped. Half of the metal form had been removed when Employee #1 decided that he should use a safety belt, and he put one on. He climbed approximately 4 ft up the column form, looped the safety lanyard around the rebar of the column, and proceeded to clip the hook to his safety belt. Thinking it was secure, he let go of the lanyard. The lanyard started to unravel from around the column form and Employee #1 started to fall. He was aware that there were a few unguarded 1/2 in. diameter rebar rods below him and twisted in an attempt to miss them. He impaled his lower back on one and then rolled off onto the ground. He was taken to shock trauma. Employee #1 acknowledged that he had attended safety meetings that covered working over unguarded rebar rods and that the company prohibited the practice. The company expected employees to get protective caps and cover the rebar rods before working above them. On the morning of the incident, all of the rebar rods had been bent over, but had subsequently been pushed into an upright position by Gray & Son when they back-filled against the wall. During a full inspection of the work site on October 22, 1992, no upright rebar rods were found to be uncovered.

Keywords: REBAR, IMPALED, WORK RULES, CONSTRUCTION, BACK, CLIMBING ON COLUMN, LANYARD, FALL, FALL PROTECTION, UNGUARDED