Inspection Detail

Note: The following inspection has not been indicated as closed. OSHA citation items will be posted 30 (thirty) days after the employer receives the citation(s), except in cases of significant public interest. Posted citation items reflect any amendments to citations that are the result of a prompt settlement, which OSHA encourages. Employers and employee representatives will continue to receive copies of the citation(s) upon issuance.

Inspection: 1620689.015 - Duke Pacific Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At 8:45 a.m. on September 8, 2022, an employee, Coworker #1 and Coworker #2 were working together on setting the roof panels for a roofing contractor on a concrete tilt-up warehouse. They were working on top of the roof structure and were located approximately 40 feet above ground. The employee and both coworkers were all wearing personal fall protection harnesses and were tied off at the time. The employee had a 75-foot-long self-retracting lifeline while Coworker #1 and Coworker #2 had a 13-foot-long self-retracting lifeline. Because the anchor points and clips were set every 5 panels instead of every other panel, it did not allow for Coworker #1 to have enough length on his self-retracting lifeline to be tied off at all times. Therefore, Coworker #1 asked the employee if he could borrow his 75-foot lifeline, to ensure he was tied-off at all times. The employee agreed and removed his lifeline and was no longer tied off. Coworker #1 removed his 13-foot lifeline and swapped it with the longer lifeline. The employee, while no longer being tied off, was standing on a set panel and waited for the next panel to be set in place by Coworker #3, the Forklift Operator, using the Gradall Forklift. The employee began the process of nailing down the new panel, beginning from the wall and working his way to the opposite end. As the employee got to the middle of the panel to continue to nail it down, the panel he was standing on suddenly collapsed and fell approximately 40 feet to the ground below, along with the employee, who was not tied off. The employee struck the concrete surface below and was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

Keywords: Anchor, Blunt force, Blunt force trauma, Concrete Floor, Construction, Fall, Fall From Elevation, Fall Protection, Harness, Installing, PPE, PPE Hazard Assessment, Roof Panel, Roofer, Tie-Off