Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1498330.015 - Lmc Enterprises

Inspection Information - Office: Oakland District Office

Investigation Summary

At 2:30 p.m. on October 8, 2020, an employee was preparing to connect two fittings on the newly installed overhead pipes. The fittings were approximately 8 feet, 4 inches above the floor. The employee used a Werner, multi-position, 300-pound capacity 13-foot type IA MT-13 ladder in the stepladder configuration to gain access to these fittings. He stood approximately 3 feet high while "straddling" the ladder, with one foot on one set of rungs, and the other foot on the other set of rungs. This method of "straddling" the ladder was prohibited by the user's manual of the ladder, as well as stickers on the ladder. While standing on the ladder, he used two pipe wrenches to tighten the fittings. The pipe wrench in his right hand slipped off the fitting, and the sudden change in forces and momentum combined with the reduced stability due to straddling the ladder caused the employee to fall backwards off the ladder onto the concrete floor below. The employee landed on his left wrist, which was fractured as a result of the fall. The employee was treated and hospitalized at Emanuel Medical Center, where he had a plate and screws surgically installed to connect and secure the fractures.

Keywords: Concrete Floor, Fall, Fall From Elevation, Fitting, Fracture, Ladder, Pipe, Pipe Wrench, Slip, Stepladder, Wrist