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: 1765085.015 - Quality Craft Floor Coverings Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Santa Ana District Office

Investigation Summary

At 2:00 p.m. on July 5, 2024, an employee working for a flooring contractor was working with a coworker, his supervisor, replacing a ceiling tile. The only witness to the event was the coworker. The team set up a non-self-supporting ladder to access the T-bar ceiling. The employee climbed the ladder while the coworker held the ladder. After the employee replaced the ceiling tile, he began to descend the ladder holding the replaced ceiling tile. According to the coworker, the employee was approximately 6 feet off the ground when he attempted to hand down the ceiling tile to the coworker. While the coworker was reaching to grab the tile, the ladder shuddered, and the employee jumped off the ladder. The coworker attempted to catch the employee who fell knocking the coworker to the ground. The employee struck his head on the tile floor. The employee was transported to a medical center with a head injury. The employee died at the hospital due to a hemorrhage.

Keywords: Blunt force, Blunt force trauma, Brain, Brain Bleed, Ceiling, Ceiling Panel, Descending Ladder, Fall, Fall From Elevation, Fall Protection, Head, Hemorrhage, Injury Illness Prevention Program, Ladder, Replacing, Tile, Traumatic Brain Injury, Unsecured, Work Surface, Wrong Equipment