Inspection Detail

Inspection: 300827490 - Lsi Construction

Inspection Information - Office: Van Nuys District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 2:24 pm. on June 10, 2004, Employee #1, working for an unlicensed framer, was standing on a job-made ladder installing a roof joist in the garage area of a two-story wooden frame residential home. Employee #1 fell about four feet from the ladder and was impaled on upward-protruding, unprotected rebar on the periphery of the garage floor. He was taken from the scene by paramedics and was hospitalized for his puncture wounds. The rebar had been in place for several weeks. The general contractor was at the site every day for about one to two hours, and most of the work was supervised by the lead framer. The lead framer arrived at the jobsite approximately one-half hour after the accident; he stated that to the best of his recollection, there were protective covers on the rebar. This recollection is at odds with photographs taken by the Burbank Fire Department's risk manager. He had been in the vicinity at the time of the accident. He heard the emergency call and responded at the same time the paramedics arrived. Pictures he took immediately after the paramedics removed Employee #1 clearly show that the rebar was unprotected. Measurements taken at the scene indicate that the ground underneath the ladder was sloped at 6.5 degrees and uneven. During an inspection, all rebar projections had protective caps, but those caps were the old "mushroom" style, which did not conform to approval standards. Two causal factors were found for the accident. The ladder was not on level ground, and the rebar was not protected by covers.

Keywords: REBAR, UNEVEN GROUND, LADDER, CONSTRUCTION, FALL, SLOPING, SLOPE, UNGUARDED, PUNCTURE, UNSTABLE POSITION