Inspection Detail

Inspection: 119870616 - Northrop Grumman Corp

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 11:20 a.m. on May 31, 1995, Employee #1 was grinding fiberglass parts on the Down Draft Fiberglass Unit. A battery-operated wall clock was mounted on the wall behind the unit. Employee #1 noticed that the plexiglass top of the unit was dirty and decided to use a 6 ft wooden A-frame ladder, left in the area by a coworker, to clean it. While he was descending the ladder, Employee #1 missed his step and fell from an unspecified height. According to Employee #1, he fell approximately 2 or 3 ft. He twisted his right leg as he landed, causing a tibial plateau fracture to his right knee. Employee #1 was transported to Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital. There were no witnesses to the accident. Employee #1 and management indicated in interviews that slippery or obstructed conditions were not a problem. Employee #1 stated that he used the two-hand method of ascending and descending. He had been trained when hired with later followup training.

Keywords: FRACTURE, WORK RULES, CLEANING, LADDER, DESCENDING, FALL, LEG