Inspection Detail

Inspection: 310195938 - Ca Corrections & Rehab,Prison Industry Authority

Inspection Information - Office: Van Nuys District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 7:20 a.m. on December 7, 2006, Employee #1 was working as a correctional officer on his regularly assigned job. He went to Tower Number 4 to relieve the correctional officer on the previous shift. He indicates that when he entered the tower through the trap door in the floor, he did not close the door immediately behind him, which is his normal practice. Employee #1 talked with the other officer briefly to get a report, and then the departing officer exited the tower through the trap door. Employee #1 did not close the door when the officer exited, which he should have done, and which was his normal practice. A few minutes later, he noticed that the sun was shining through the tower windows, which are located on the opposite side of the trap door. The sun was interfering with his vision, so he went over to pull down the window shades. As he approached the floor trap door, with the sun in his eyes, he didn't see that the door was not closed. He walked into the open doorway and fell through to the landing of the stairway, about 7 feet. There is a built-in ladder that leads from the tower floor to the landing, but the ladder did not stop his fall. Employee #1's body was flipping as he fell, and his head hit something hard, either the landing or the railing, causing a scalp injury. He sustained lacerations. Employee #1 was hospitalized at Sierra Vista Hospital in San Luis Obispo for four days. He required surgery with 30 stitches and about six staples to close the head wound. He also had "whiplash" injuries to his neck, shoulder, and left wrist. These injuries became more evident after he was released and recuperating from the head injury at home. He subsequently went through fifteen sessions of physical therapy.

Keywords: SHOULDER, SCALP, LADDER, LACERATION, FALL, FLOOR OPENING, NECK, ELEVATED WORK PLAT, INATTENTION, WRIST