Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1591017.015 - Gl Construction Of Madison Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Madison Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 2:30 p.m. on April 20, 2022, an employee was working with a crew of coworkers erecting interior walls within a building. The employee, a construction laborer, and three coworkers were framing, installing and bracing the walls of a residential building on the second level. The wall measured greater than 40 feet in length and about 8 feet in height and weighed an estimated 1,000 pounds to 2,000 pounds. The employer was using a crane with a tow strap sling attachment to assist the crew in lifting up the walls from a flat position to a vertical position. The sling had end loops attached to the wall with two 2 inch by 6 foot boards tacked with 3 inch framing nails. The boards were situated inside the end loops of the sling. While the wall was being stood upright by the the crew in order to be braced, a reported high gust of wind caused the wall tip over and strike the employee. The employee incurred severe blunt force trauma and was killed. The wall was partially braced and disconnected from the crane at the time it fell. The activities were taking place in high wind conditions and wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour were reported. Weather and the high wind conditions were likely a factor to the event. The operation was not adjusted to address the effects of high winds.

Keywords: Blunt force, Blunt force trauma, Bracing, Building, Building Collapse, Caught By, Collapse, Construction, Crane, Crushed, Falling Object, Framing, High Wind, Installing, Material Handling, Multi-employer Worksite, Multiemployer, Residential Construction, Rigging, Struck By, Unsecured, Unsecured Panel, Unstable Load, Wall, Weather, Wood