Inspection Detail

Inspection: 311120877 - Richard Hutchison Dba Hutchison Custom Painting

Inspection Information - Office: Chicago North Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 11:30 a.m. on June 14, 2007, an employee was working alone power washing in preparation for painting the second floor dormers on the south side of a previously constructed two story single family home. The employee may have been on an aluminum extension ladder or on the roof while performing this work. The employee fell 10 ft from a floor and was killed. No one witnessed the fall. The home owner found the employee lying on the asphalt driveway with the aluminum extension ladder adjacent to his head. The power washing wand was observed at the peak of the dormer approximately 23 feet above the ground. The employee had been at the site for two days and had been power washing for about three hours the morning of the accident. The weather was warm and sunny, approximately 90 degrees F. The roof of the house was cedar shake shingles with an approximately 12:12 pitch. The employee was not wearing personal fall protection. The coroner's investigation observed brown smears from the cedar shingles on the employee's clothing, indicating that the employee slid down the roof prior to falling from it. A toxicological examination of the employee determined the presence of THC, a component of marijuana and opiates, consistent with a prescription for Vicodin.

Keywords: ROOF, LADDER, SLIP, FALL, FALL PROTECTION