Inspection Detail

Inspection: 311768782 - Lowes Home Improvement Warehouse

Inspection Information - Office: Va-E-Norfolk (Regional Office) - Health 03551124

Investigation Summary

On December 20, 2007, Employee #1, a customer service associate, was reportedly seen by coworkers while carrying a box of paint sticks in a caged aisle of paint. As Employee #2, a team leader in Employee #1's department, was walking toward the paint desk, she reportedly heard the four-step rolling ladder rattle. Employee #2 turned around to see Employee #1 lying on the floor. Employee #2 called for Employee #3, who was close by, and, upon talking to Employee #1, the pair determined he was in a semi-conscious state. While Employee #3 was with Employee #1, Employee #2 told her zone manager, Employee #4, what happened, and Employee #4 called 9-1-1. When the county rescue squad arrived, Employee #1 was sitting/lying on the floor awake and alert but confused regarding date/time/place. Employee #1 did not know if he had fallen from the rolling ladder nearby. The rolling ladder was designed to lock into place when an employee steps onto it and had rails on both sides. Employee #1 had a small laceration on his left temple with no apparent external bleeding or swelling. Employee #1 was transported to and hospitalized at a hospital, where he died on December 26, 2007. The medical investigator's office stated an autopsy was not going to be performed. The cause of death was determined to be a subdural hematoma.

Keywords: LADDER, PAINT, FALL