Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1258664 - Decking & Siding Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Chicago North Area Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1, a sheetmetal worker, and a coworker, a veteran craftsman, were on a two-point suspension scaffold, caulking the seams of a steel and glass curtain wall on a multi-story office building under construction. They were on their last drop directly over a ground level drive-through at the building's main entrance. The power cable for the scaffold's hoisting machines originated at the roof level, passed down the side of the building to within 2 to 3 ft of the ground, and looped back up to the staging. A taxicab passing out of the drive-through caught the power cable on its bumper, pulling the scaffold away from the face of the building. The coworker grabbed the scaffold load line on his side of the stage and was able to make his way to safety through a window that had been broken when the scaffold crashed against the building. Employee #1 fell approximately 40 ft to the ground and was killed. Both employees had dropped independent lifelines and were equipped with safety belts and lanyards, but neither was tied off. Traffic cones, ppe, and wire mesh at the back of the staging were not in use at the time of the accident.

Keywords: PPE, UNSECURED, WORK RULES, CAUGHT BY, CONSTRUCTION, TRAFFIC CONTROL, TWO PT SUSP SCAFFOLD, FALL, TIE-OFF