Inspection Detail

Inspection: 307160952 - Dewey Pest Control Services

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

On April 8, 2004, Employee #1 was working for Dewey Pest Control Services, an insect, rodent, and bird control service provider. The employee's primary duties were to exterminate insects with various pesticides, and to set out Arbitrol baited corn for bird control. The job at times requires access to roof areas of buildings and the company provides 6-ft A-frame ladders in their service trucks. The employee was attaching an aluminum tray filled with Arbitrol baited corn onto the top of a carport which was 10 ft and 3 in. high. The tray measured 4-in. by 8-in in diameter and 1.5 in. in depth. She used an extension ladder that was at the site to access the roof. She had applied glue onto the bottom of the aluminum tray, carried it up the ladder and was pressing down on the tray to attach it to the roof when the ladder moved or slipped. The employee fell to the ground and sustained a fractured right wrist, left ankle, and tail bone, and torn ligaments. Employee #1 was taken to St. Francis Medical Center where surgery was performed and she was hospitalized. Some possible factors that could have contributed to the accident are that the employee was a new Service Technician having been on the job for five months and she was not trained to use the extension ladders.

Keywords: FRACTURE, EXTENSION LADDER, LADDER, SLIP, FALL, UNTRAINED, ANKLE, WRIST