Inspection Detail

Inspection: 310384003 - Southtown Professional Window Cleaning

Inspection Information - Office: Cincinnati Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 9:30 a.m. on October 9, 2006, Employee #1, a window washer, was working on an existing building and was using a rolling counter-weighted portable outrigger beam scaffold with Sky Genie descent device attached to the seat board. The outrigger beam scaffold was not adequately counter-weighted, and was not tied back. In addition, a coworker moved the scaffold horizontally while Employee #1 occupied it. The coworker moving the scaffold was adjacent to the unprotected roof edge and was not wearing fall protection. As the scaffold was moved to the elevated roof position and Employee #1 descended down to the next row of windows, the two sections of the outrigger beam separated due to the lack of a safety retaining pin. Employee #1, on the seat board, was also not attached to a life line, the locking devices in use were not self-closing and self-locking, and the available lanyard was not positive-locking. The outrigger beam separated from the roof and both the scaffold and Employee #1 fell approximately 20 ft to the ground. Employee #1 sustained unspecified fractures and died on November 11, 2006, from complications following his injuries.

Keywords: WINDOW WASHER, FRACTURE, ROOF, OUTRIGGER, COUNTERBALANCE, SCAFFOLD COLLAPSE, FALL, FALL PROTECTION, UNGUARDED, SCAFFOLD