Inspection Detail

Inspection: 310810858 - Pacific Southwest Structures Inc

Inspection Information - Office: San Diego District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday, March 6, 2007, Employee #1 was working as a journeyman carpenter for a general building contractor at a jobsite on a university campus in San Diego. His employer was constructing a multi-story building to house a supercomputer on the campus as an addition to an existing five-story building. The employer was performing carpentry at the job site, including construction of pour-in-place wall forms. Employee #1's job that day included constructing the wall form on the second-story level. He was installing an assembly of vertical aluminum strongbacks and tie plates that would form the wall. He climbed to about the twelve-foot-level of the wall above the second-floor deck. He was using fall protection, consisting of a harness and lanyard, plus a positioning device. He finished his work at the top of the form and moved down to the mid-level, when he dropped a coil bolt, an 18 inch metal rod. He unhooked his fall protection and began climbing down to the deck to retrieve the rod. At a level less than five feet above the deck, he lost his balance and/or footing on the beam and fell, landing on his feet before further falling to the ground. He landed badly, breaking bones in his left ankle. In addition, he sustained a compound fracture of the fibula and tibia. He was transported to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, where he underwent surgery to install plates and screws in his leg. He was hospitalized for a week.

Keywords: CONCRETE FORM WORK, FRACTURE, PPE, CARPENTER, SLIP, CONSTRUCTION, FALL, FALL PROTECTION, LOST BALANCE, LEG