Inspection Detail

Inspection: 310098108 - Thermoscape

Inspection Information - Office: Foster City District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 4:40 p.m. on July 21, 2010, Employee #1 was working for Thermoscape, changing an HVAC system in Redwood City, CA. He was working alone on that day. He noticed that the cover of a roof hatch was open, so he climbed a fixed ladder to close the cover. There was a rope tied off to the handle of the roof hatch cover. Employee #1 grabbed that rope with one hand instead of holding the handle and used other hand to latch the cover. Just then, the rope broke, and Employee #1 lost his balance. He fell off the ladder approximately seven feet down onto a wood joist in the unfinished floor in the attic at the second level of this building. As a result, Employee #1 fractured his leg. He was taken to the Stanford Hospital, and he was hospitalized for more than twenty-four hours. Employee #1 said that he had done this type of work many times before, and that he had been trained by his employer. Employee #1 stated that he should not have held onto the rope and that he should have held the handle for a secure grip instead. There was no accident-related violation, although the employer was cited for other general violations that were not related to this accident.

Keywords: ROOF OPENING COVER, FRACTURE, INADEQUATE MAINT, AIR CONDITIONER, WORK RULES, LADDER, FALL, ROOF OPENING, LOST BALANCE, LEG