Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1554761.015 - The Reutlinger Community

Inspection Information - Office: American Canyon District Office

Investigation Summary

At 12:45 p.m. on September 15, 2021, an employee working for the administrative office of a senior living facility was performing office work. The employee was transferring files from storage boxes into a 4-drawer file cabinet. The employee had been at work that day for approximately 1 hour. The furniture had been moved from the office area for the installation of new carpet. The file cabinet had not been installed in its final position and was not anchored to the wall to prevent tipping. As the employee placed files in the cabinet, it tipped forward, knocking her to the floor where she struck her head. The file cabinet fell coming to rest on a nearby chair. Several coworkers heard the noise from the cabinet falling and came to check on the employee. They found the employee lying on the floor. The coworkers called 911 after which time the fire department responded. The employee was taken to a local regional medical center and transferred to a specialty hospital where she was admitted into the ICU. The employee was discharged after three weeks and now resides in a skilled nursing care facility. She will most likely not be able to return to work. CalOSHA identified several causal factors including but not limited to: The file cabinet was not located in its final position and therefore had not been anchored to the wall to prevent inadvertent tipping. The file cabinet was not locked to restrict access prior to it being anchored to the wall.

Keywords: Anchor, Blunt force, Blunt force trauma, Concrete Floor, Concussion, Fall, Fall On Same Level, Falling Object, Head, Misjudgment, Misjudgment of Hazardous Situation, Office Area, Struck Against, Unsecured, Work Surface