Inspection Detail

Inspection: 119666352 - University Of California-Berkeley

Inspection Information - Office: Oakland District Office

Investigation Summary

On July 31, 1995, Employee #1, a window washer for WWC Window Cleaning, was using a boatswain's chair on the roof of a nine-story building without a separate safety line. He fell while attempting to attach the descent device to the working rope from a seated position with his legs over the side. Employee #1 is unsure of exactly what precipitated his fall, but surmises that the latch for the descent device was not properly secured. While he was falling, entangled in the boatswain's chair, Employee #1 grabbed the working rope in his hands and held on, slowing his fall until the pain became too intense to continue holding. He free-fell the remaining two stories, landed on a row of plastic garbage cans that broke his fall, then fell to the pavement. He sustained third-degree rope burns to both hands, bruising of his right shoulder/back, and a lacerated left knee. He was taken by campus police to Alta Bates Hospital, where he received skin grafts, and was released on August 11, 1995.

Keywords: WINDOW WASHER, BOSUN CHAIR, UNSECURED, WORK RULES, ABRASION, HAND, BURN, LIFELINE, ROPE, FALL