Inspection Detail

Inspection: 126152719 - Sbc

Inspection Information - Office: Los Angeles District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 11:45 a.m. on July 12, 2004, Employee #1 was attending a refresher training session at an SBC training facility. The training area consisted of four round, wooden poles imbedded in the ground and used by trainees to learn climbing with gaffs. Employee #1 was wearing a safety belt around her waist and gaffs on her ankles. She performed a gaff "cut out test" prior to climbing the pole, and passed it satisfactorily. She then began climbing the pole and after ascending approximately 11 feet, she attempted to move completely around the pole as part of the training exercise. Approximately two to three steps into the maneuver, her gaffs cut loose from the pole and she fell straight down to the ground, severely fracturing her left ankle. She was initially transported to Technimed-Vernon in Vernon, CA, and was released after one hour. The following day, she was taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center where surgery was performed and she was hospitalized for one week. After further investigation, the gaffs were determined to be in good working order and were imbedding properly into the wooden pole.

Keywords: FRACTURE, FALL, FALL PROTECTION, WORK SURFACE, ANKLE, CUTOUT--GAFF