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: 1790287.015 - 157865 - Carolina Hosiery Mill, Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Nc Department Of Labor - Winston-Salem

Investigation Summary

At 12:00 a.m. on July 30, 2021, Employee #1 was working at a hosiery mill and was standing on top of a dryer, installing a rim, when he slipped and fell to the concrete floor. The fall was greater than eight feet. He was evaluated the same day at a clinic and diagnosed with a closed displaced intertrochanteric fracture of the left femur. He was then transferred to a hospital for a higher level of care. On July 31, 2021, he underwent surgery to repair the hip fracture and was discharged without complication on August 1, 2021. According to family members, the employee had been recovering well until the morning of August 12, 2021, when he experienced sudden shortness of breath. A family member returned home at approximately 12:50 p.m. to find him unresponsive on a waterbed. Emergency services were called, and upon arrival, found the employee pulseless and apneic. Despite 30 minutes of resuscitative efforts-including defibrillation, epinephrine administration, and intubation-he was pronounced dead at 1:43 p.m. on August 12, 2021. Initial documentation attributed the death to complications of the femur fracture. However, a family-requested autopsy later revealed the cause of death to be heart disease, including an enlarged heart, severe pericardial adhesions, acute myocardial infarction, and coronary artery disease.

Keywords: Blunt force, Blunt force trauma, CPR, Fall, Fall From Elevation, Fall Protection, Femur, Fracture, Heart, Hip, Installing, Shortness of breath, Slip, Unresponsive