Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1761520.015 - Strong Tower Communication Services, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Denver Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 4:15 p.m. on July 12, 2024, Employee #1) was working on a communication tower. While sitting on a horizontal support beam with his legs intertwined with a ladder, the employee experienced a seizure. The seizure caused the employee to fall backward. The fall was initially arrested by the harness, but due to the employee's legs being entangled with the ladder, the fall positioned the head under the torso. The employee vomited, fell unconscious, and suffocated due to aspirating the vomit. The second worker was unable to lift the employee out of the entangled position alone, requiring another climber to descend approximately 700 feet to assist with the rescue. The employee was unresponsive and died at the site.

Keywords: Climbing, Communication Tower, Entangled, Fall, Fall From Elevation, Fall Protection, Harness, Head, Leg, Seizure, Suffocated, Torso, Unconsciousness, Unresponsive, Vomit