Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1254578.015 - Catalina Island Company

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At 9:45 a.m. on July 31, 2017, Employee #1 arrived at his jobsite, an Aerial Adventure Park that provides various outdoor activities to the public, to include but not limited to, moving from tree to tree through a series of obstacles suspended at an elevated height. The employee started his morning 10 minute stretch alongside his coworkers. The workers then discussed which trail they would inspect as part of their daily morning routine, prior to opening the park to the public. Employee #1 volunteered to inspect the Intermediate Trail. The employee inspected his personal protective equipment and then proceeded to conduct his routine inspection. After inspecting various components found in each of the 11 elements of the Trail, Employee# 1 arrived to the very last element, referred to as TrueBlue because it contains a TrueBlue Auto Belay magnetic braking system to reduce the descending speed when falling from an elevated height. Employee# 1 inspected various components of the TrueBlue Auto Belay equipment including housing, webbing and steel wire rope (loop) located inside the carabineer loop, and behind the gate. The employee, with his Smart Belay Locking Lanyard connected to the D-ring on his body harness, attached both carabineers onto the steel wire rope (loop) and stepped off the platform as previously done and part of the inspection procedures. Unbeknownst to the employee, the steel wire rope (loop) was separated from the TrueBlue Auto Belay carabineer and Employee #1 fell over 20 feet onto the unpaved floor. The employee was evaluated by the local emergency response team and airlifted to a large medical center where he was treated for fractures to the spine.

Keywords: Amusement Park/Carnival, Elevated Work Platform, Fall, Fall Protection, Fracture, Lanyard, PPE, Spine