Inspection Detail

Inspection: 311420269 - Diamond K Tower Company, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Jackson Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 2:52 a.m. on June 3, 2009, an employee was working on a cell phone tower adding new equipment. The employee fell 217 feet to the ground and died at the site. Employee was wearing a body harness. The employee had not secured himself to the tower with his personal fall-arrest system equipment. He was wearing a DBI-SALA Exofit Tower Climbing, Full-Body Harness, Model Number 1108650, Serial Number 119903, Size SM. Attached to the back D-ring of this full-body harness was a "ZORBER" wye shock-absorbing dual lanyard by Elk River, twin 1-in. by 6-in. nylon web energy absorbing lanyards with a dual-action snap-hook on one end and dual-action rebar-hooks on the other ends. The employee apparently was attempting to secure his front "pelican" hook into his positioning lanyard which was secured to a vertical antenna pole. On June 9, 2009, the employee's 1-in. by 44.5-in. adjustable nylon web positioning lanyard, six foot overall length, with dual-action snap-hooks at each end, was retrieved off the tower by the Foreman. This lanyard was found wrapped around a vertical antenna pole at the west end of Alpha (1) Sector at Elevation 217, right where the employee had secured it with a carabiner back on June 3.

Keywords: FALL, FALL PROTECTION, CONCUSSION, TOWER, WORK SURFACE