Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1504139.015 - Jv Building Services, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Boston North Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 9:00 p.m. on October 17, 2020, an employee working as a laborer for a building services company was working with a crew that was using a crane to move large 1500-pound bags of product from a pit measuring approximately 26-foot by 20-foot wide by 15-foot to forklifts. The employee placed a 16-foot ladder inside the pit to allow access and egress from the pit. He placed the ladder topside down so that the dogs did not rip or damage the bags. As the crew removed the bags, the employee made adjustments to the ladder until the pit was empty. The employee attempted to climb out of the pit with the ladder still inserted the wrong way causing the ladder to slide out from under him. He landed on the ground and had to be extricated by local fire department using the crane. The ladder was still in place with the top of the ladder facing away from the front of the pit with the feet/dogs against the wall closer to the front. The employee was hospitalized to treat leg injuries.

Keywords: Abrasion, Access/Egress, Ascending, Blunt force, Blunt force trauma, Contusion, Crane, Fall, Fall From Elevation, Fall Protection, Inexperience, Insufficient Supervision, Laborer, Lack of Work Procedures, Ladder, Leg, Material Handling, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, Pit, Work Surface