Inspection Detail

Inspection: 310826862 - San Joaquin Mechanical, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Fresno District Office

Investigation Summary

On April 2, 2008, an employee was ascending a fixed metal ladder when he experienced a muscular spasm of the right hand as he reached for the ladder's side rail extension. The employee failed to grasp the side rail resulting in him falling approximately twenty feet to a concrete surface. The employee was able to use his cell phone to alert the facility maintenance manager of the event and request emergency medical services. Emergency Medical services arrived and transported the employee to Kaiser Hospital, where he underwent surgical repair of fractures to the right ankle. The employee was experienced air conditioning and heating technician and had serviced the facilities equipment on a three month schedule for last ten years. Physical inspection of the ladder found the ladder to meet standards and specifications for fixed rail ladder with round steel rails and round steel runs. Although the wall the ladder was mounted on was covered with ivy, which at the time of inspection the vegetation was interfering with the rungs and created a slip hazard. Documentation for this condition at the time of the injury event was not available, although building owner asserted vegetation is trimmed periodically as part of their landscape maintenance program. In addition, the employee claimed the vegetation was not a factor in his fall. The building owner committed to removing vegetation from within one foot of the ladder to mitigate this potential hazard to ladder users.

Keywords: FRACTURE, AIR CONDITIONER, LADDER, FALL, LOST BALANCE, ANKLE, FOOT