Inspection Detail

Inspection: 2826865 - Thomas Nichols Construction Company

Inspection Information - Office: Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation Division Of Labor And Industry Maryland Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

At approximately 10:00 a.m. on May 30, 1985, Employee #1 was building a concrete block wall from a scaffold on the second floor of a building. He was working from a work platform, about 4 feet from the floor, on a section of scaffold that was 6 feet high and 30 feet long. Stacks of 8-inch block and cement pans were behind him. The scaffold's legs were resting on 0.75-inch thick particle board that was wet from previous rains. The 2-inch by 4-inch boards normally placed under the scaffold legs were absent. As Employee #1 was laying block, his section of the scaffold dropped suddenly and lunched forward. He was propelled over the unfinished wall and fell down the stairway opening on the other side. He fell into the basement 26 feet below. The accident was caused by the scaffold legs going through the flooring, resulting from a combination of the 0.75-inch particle board being wet; no support boards placed under the scaffold legs; and the weight of the block, cement, and employee. One would have to assume that if the scaffold legs had had support boards under them the accident would not have occurred. The company will be cited for not having adequate support underneath the scaffold legs which led to the accident. The citation will have to be serious, since the scaffold was set up next to a wall that had a 26-foot drop on the other side.

Keywords: FRACTURE, BUILDING, CONSTRUCTION, FALL, CONCRETE BLOCK, OVERTURN, SCAFFOLD