Inspection Detail

Inspection: 304196181 - Rise, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Minnesota Department Of Labor And Industry

Investigation Summary

On May 3, 2001, Employee #1 was assigned to work at the St. Therese Home Care facility in New Hope. Employee #1 has been working at this site since September, 2000, and has been working for Rise, Inc. for 20 years. As usual, the van picked up Employee #1 at his residence and dropped him off at the site at approximately 7:00 a.m. Employee #1 was scheduled to work from 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. When the six member crew reached the site each day, they put their lunch in the refrigerator and hung their jackets in their locker. Employee #1 placed his lunch in the refrigerator and put his jacket in his locker. He then met the rest of the crew in the cafeteria, as was done each morning prior to starting work. At approximately 7:50 a.m. Employee #1 left the cafeteria to put his blue cup away, which he did each day. A coworker stated that in past observation of Employee #1, he was holding his blue cup in his left hand while hanging onto the railing with his right hand. The stairwell in which Employee #1 was found in located on the west side of the building. He traveled these stairs many times throughout his employment at this facility. There are 11 risers on this stairway, which are carpeted. The stairs are 45-inches in width, with each one being 10 inches high. On each side of the stairway there is a handrail. Since there were no witnesses to the accident, it is speculation that Employee #1 fell down the stairs, hitting his head and causing fatal injuries. It should be noted that Employee #1 had cerebral palsy and walked with his toes pointing inward, dragging his feet. Employee #1 did not utilize any type of walking aid. One nurse who was on-site at the time of the accident stated she thought Employee #1 had an aneurysm; and again someone speculated that he had a seizure. Employee #1 died.

Keywords: FRACTURE, HEAD, STAIR, FALL