Inspection Detail

Inspection: 311361901 - Johnston Construction Company

Inspection Information - Office: Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation Division Of Labor And Industry Maryland Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

At approximately 1:00 p.m. on July 27, 2007, Employee #1 and a coworker were on the 18 ft wide by 36 ft long by 12 ft high concrete cell-type roof of a water pump house building. They were removing the 1,000 lb concrete block and mortar overhangs that were cracked from the north and south sides of the roof. The 6.5 in. thick overhangs extended 20 in. past the wall of the building, and they were cracked and in need of replacement. The crew was using a diamond-bladed chop saw to score the concrete about 3 in. deep, and then a concrete chain saw to cut through the rest of the concrete. Employee #1 was cutting the north overhang from east to west. He had cut an approximately 2.5 ft section when the entire overhang collapsed to the ground. Employee #1 also fell to the ground and sustained a fractured pelvis and a fractured left arm. He was flown by Life Flight to a Shock Trauma Center and was hospitalized for eight days. His fractured left humerus required a steel plate and screws. Employee #1 and the coworker were not protected from falling; they did not utilize any fall protection, such as wearing personal fall arrest systems, using a monitor, guardrails, warning lines, or nets.

Keywords: FRACTURE, DISMANTLING, CONSTRUCTION, PELVIS, ROOFER, FALL, FALL PROTECTION, UNSTABLE POSITION