Inspection Detail

Inspection: 302021241 - David Jones

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

Investigation Summary

At approximately 11:40 a.m. on April 16, 1998, Employee #1, a painter, was working from a 12 ft wooden straight ladder that was positioned atop a 13 ft tall by 5 ft wide mobile scaffold. He was painting the second-floor window frames and cornice on a two-story house, which were between 17 ft 4 in. and 25 ft 10 in. above the ground. The scaffold's frames were 30 in. out from the house's front wall. A log planter, which measured 80 5/8 in. long by 19 in. wide by 19 in. deep and was placed 10 1/4 in. out from the front of the house and kept the scaffold from moving closer to the house's front wall. The work platform where the ladder was positioned was planked by three 2 in. by 10 in. by approximately 8 ft long boards, placed side by side along the scaffold's length toward the scaffold's outer edge. In addition to rubber safety feet, a 2 in. by 3 in. block nailed to one of the planks held the base of the ladder in place, approximately 6 ft out from the front wall of the house. The innermost scaffold plank was between 62 and 67 in. out from the wall, leaving a gap of 31 1/2 in. in the work platform. After erecting the scaffold for Employee #1 to work from, the proprietor temporarily left the job site. While he was gone, the ladder from which Employee #1 was working kicked out at its base, causing the scaffold to topple. He fell about 20 ft onto the sidewalk, striking his head as he landed. He was transported to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he died on April 24, 1998. The three planks that formed the work platform and the block for the ladder's feet were of nominal measure.

Keywords: HEAD, UNSECURED, WORK RULES, LADDER, CONSTRUCTION, FALL, ELEVATED WORK PLAT, OVERTURN, SCAFFOLD, UNSTABLE POSITION