Inspection Detail

Inspection: 120226196 - G Hart Dba Lakewood Builders

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

On November 7, 2002, Employees #1 and #2 and a coworker, all day laborers, were at the site of a single-family, two-story home where the employer had installed an addition to both levels. They were hired for clean-up work and told to show up at the job site in the morning; there was no supervisor involved. Employees #1 and #2 started working in the back of the house, on the west side near the central air conditioning unit, and the coworker started doing similar work in the front. By approximately 10:00 a.m., they had worked to within 6 to 7 ft from the southwest corner of the building when they heard some kind of noise. They discovered a ground-mounted, 35 ft tall radio antennae located between them and the building wall; the antennae was tilted and about to fall on them. To prevent it from coming over, they were trying to hold the antenna when the upper end of it contacted an an overhead high tension line. There followed a large bang and flash; both the employees suffered severe burns and fell flat on the ground. The homeowner, who was working inside, looked out the window after hearing the explosion. He called Emergency Services and the electric company. Employees #1 and #2 were transported to Western Medical Center, where Employee #1 died and Employee #2 was hospitalized for approximately one month. According to the homeowner, the antenna was strapped/bolted to the building wall at several points for about five years. Several subcontractors had worked there during the preceding days and it is likely one of them unstrapped the antenna.

Keywords: BURN, CLEARANCE, OVERHEAD POWER LINE, UNSECURED, WORK RULES, CLEANING, STRUCK AGAINST, CONSTRUCTION, METAL POLE