Inspection Detail

Inspection: 311090948 - E & M Hi-Rise Railing & Glass Corp.

Inspection Information - Office: Fort Lauderdale Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 3:00 p.m. on April 14, 2008, an employee was drilling a hole using an electric core driller on a twelfth floor balcony and fell down to the covered terraza on the fourth floor of the building. The employee was wearing a harness but evidence showed that the lanyard was not tied to the lanyard or the lifeline when he fell. The employee was killed. From information obtained from interviews with coworkers and the employer, it appeared that the employee had been trained on fall protection. This was a normal routine portion of the employee's work and he performed it frequently, approximately five days per for the last eight months. The employee had been employer as a laborer by this company for eight months and had performed this job since he was hired. There were no contributing weather variables; it was clear and cool with no precipitation. The company did not have a written fall protection plan in place, but required that employees wear harness and be tied while working aloft at all times. There was a coworker working with the employee on the same balcony but due to the balcony's configuration he did not see the employee fall.

Keywords: HEAD, LANYARD, FALL, FALL PROTECTION, HAND TOOL, WORK SURFACE