Inspection Detail

Inspection: 126493261 - Southeastern Contract Services, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Sc Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation

Investigation Summary

Employee #1, a window washer for a small, 4-employee window cleaning company, was washing windows from a boatswain's chair suspended at the 10th floor of an office building. One strap of the chair became unhooked and Employee #1 fell. He was caught by his lifeline, and a coworker, his supervisor, repelled down, grabbed him, and descended with him to the 2nd floor level. Employee #1 then unlocked and detached his lanyard from the safety harness and jumped to the ground. A pedestrian broke Employee #1's fall, and the employee was taken to the hospital for treatment of bruises. When this report was written, he had not been seen or heard from by anyone interviewed. Subsequent inspection revealed that Employee #1 was using a double non-locking hasp attachment to attach the rappel line to the chair. Neither his coworkers nor his employer knew the origin of the hasp. It was not standard equipment and was not necessary, since a locking D-ring was also being used in the chair setup.

Keywords: WINDOW WASHER, BOSUN CHAIR, UNSECURED, WORK RULES, TWO PT SUSP SCAFFOLD, FALL, ELEVATED WORK PLAT, CONTUSION