Inspection Detail

Inspection: 303608384 - Brigham Young University

Inspection Information - Office: Utah Division Of Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

At approximately 10:30 a.m. on July 20, 2000, Employee #1, a student, was working part-time for the custodial department at Brigham Young University. He was assigned to disassemble and move a rolling, self-propelled 8 ft 3 in. long by 29 in. wide by 20 ft 5 in. tall scaffold in the atrium of a campus building. The scaffold had been used by electricians to repair a light fixture mounted high on the west wall. After completing the repairs, the electricians had taken some of the scaffold's structural bars off the top and hung them on the long, east side. The stabilizing outriggers had also been removed and were sitting by the scaffold. Employee #1 climbed up the southern, narrow end of the scaffold within sight of his supervisor and swung around to the east side to retrieve the hanging parts. His weight, along with the unbalanced weight of the metal scaffold bars, caused the scaffold to become unstable and to tip over. Employee #1 was thrown off and fell 15 ft onto a brick walkway, He fractured his skull and was comatose for several days. Both Employee #1 and his supervisor had attended scaffold safety training. Employee #1 was discharged from the hospital within a week and has made a full recovery.

Keywords: FRACTURE, DISMANTLING, OUTRIGGER, WORK RULES, SKULL, FALL, SCAFFOLD RIGGING, OVERTURN, SCAFFOLD, UNSTABLE POSITION