Inspection Detail

Inspection: 303880397 - Bill Janowitz Carpentry Contractors

Inspection Information - Office: Parsippany Area Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 was working on the platform of a pump jack scaffold. After approximately 30 minutes, he began to descend an extension ladder that was resting against the platform and that extended approximately 1 ft above the platform's surface. Employee #1 fell 15 ft 1 in. onto compacted dirt and suffered a lacerated left ear and general body stiffness. He was transported to the hospital, where he was treated and released. Employee #1 later stated that he had no memory of why he fell, but he thought that he may have misstepped on the ladder or been partially on the scaffold and partially on the ladder at the time of the accident. Subsequent investigation revealed the following conditions: 1) the scaffold had not been erected under the supervision of a competent person; 2) there was no guardrail or fall arrest system to protect the employee while he was working on the scaffold; 3) the side rails of the ladder did not extend the required 3 ft above the scaffold platform; 4) Employee #1 had not received scaffold training by a competent person; and 5) Employee #1 had not received site training or ladder safety training.

Keywords: EXTENSION LADDER, GUARDRAIL, WORK RULES, EAR, PUMP JACK SCAFFOLD, DESCENDING, LACERATION, FALL, FALL PROTECTION, UNTRAINED