Inspection Detail

Inspection: 302804067 - Port Morris Tile & Marble Corporation

Inspection Information - Office: Tarrytown Area Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 and a coworker were involved in installing facing stone to the northern elevation of the west wing of the building. Most of the work was performed on a Morgen system scaffold. One section of the work was performed on two planks supported by the east end of the Morgen scaffold. The other end was supported using planks located on one side and on an end bracket attached to the frame of a tubular welded frame scaffold. The Morgen scaffold had just been raised approximately 18-inches. The coworker moved the end bracket up one horizontal level on the tubular welded frame scaffold, raising it approximately 16 inches, and then placed two 2-inch by 10-inch planks onto it. The end bracket was moved from the top horizontal piece of one frame to the lowest horizontal piece of the frame above it. The coworker then walked across the planks to the Morgen scaffold. Employee #1 walked onto the two planks and told the coworker that the plank furthest from the face of the building was wobbly. Employee #1 turned the plank onto its side and asked his coworker to remove stone debris from the plank on the Morgen scaffold to correct the problem. The coworker said that he heard a commotion and looked over and saw Employee #1 fall approximately 34-feet to the ground. The end bracket and two planks fell as well. Employee #1 was pronounced dead at the scene. It was later determined by reconstructing the conditions of the accident that a scaffold plank located at the bottom of the end bracket prevented the top of the bracket from securely fitting onto the tubular welded frame. Also, the end bracket was not secured in any way to prevent it from twisting 90-degrees to the scaffold frame.

Keywords: FRACTURE, CONSTRUCTION, PLANK, FALL, SCAFFOLD, TUBULAR SCAFFOLD