Inspection Detail

Inspection: 126193986 - Teak Warehouse Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Los Angeles District Office

Investigation Summary

On October 17, 2007, Employee #1, a warehouse worker who had been employed for over four years, was performing a routine task, loading and unloading merchandise onto the storage racks. The racks had a top shelf that was 12 feet above the floor and some of the racks had a middle shelf that was located 5 feet above the floor. The larger pieces of merchandise were stored at the floor level, while the smaller pieces (boxed and flat items) were stored on the top shelves. Employee #1 was using a stepladder to access the top shelf of one of the storage racks to load merchandise that was stored on the shelf onto a pallet. He then lowered the pallet to the ground with a pallet jack. He was using a 12 foot ladder, which was the same height as the top shelf. In order to step from the ladder to the top shelf, Employee #1 had to stand at the step below the topcap of the step ladder, causing the ladder to become unstable and tip over. He fell to the ground, striking his head and fracturing his left humerus. No one witnessed the accident. Employee #1 used his cell phone to call his supervisor, who was in the sales floor area adjacent the warehouse, for assistance before losing consciousness. The employer contacted paramedics, who transported the injured worker to UCLA Harbor Medical Center. Employee #1 was admitted to the hospital, where he remained for two days. Citations were issued pertaining to lack of fall protection/guardrails at an elevated work location and allowing workers to stand on the topcap and/or step below the topcap of a stepladder.

Keywords: FRACTURE, UNCONSCIOUSNESS, GUARDRAIL, LADDER, FALL, FALL PROTECTION, PALLET, STORAGE RACK, ARM, UNSTABLE POSITION