Inspection Detail

Inspection: 120261730 - Charter Communication

Inspection Information - Office: Monrovia District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 12:05 p.m. on February 15, 2000, Employee #1 of Charter Communication was working on a pole to fix a television picture problem for a customer. He was working by himself on a pole using a 28-foot-long extension ladder. He was working on a tap (a box for sending a signal to the customer's television). He had a television in his truck in order to check the incoming signal from the tap. He made four to five trips from the tap to his truck to check the signal. Employee #1 climbed the ladder to go up and disconnect his cable from the tap. He climbed about 20 feet above the ground when the ladder started sliding to the right. He lost his balance and fell on the grass in customer's back yard. Employee #1 was airlifted to Saint Francis Trauma Center. He sustained fractures to his spinal cord and was hospitalized for nine days. Employee #1 stated that he was tired from the previous night working too late and the ground was wet due to rain. He also stated that his last trip up the ladder was to just disconnect the cable from the tap, so he did not use safety gears.

Keywords: FRACTURE, EXTENSION LADDER, CABLE TV WORK, COMMUNICATION CABLE, SPINE, TRUCK, FALL, LOST BALANCE