Inspection Detail

Inspection: 312689706 - Cw Horton General Contractor

Inspection Information - Office: San Francisco District Office

Investigation Summary

On August 18, 2010, Employee #1 was working for C W Horton General Contractor as a working carpenter foreman at a jobsite located at a hotel in San Francisco, CA. He was installing an access panel on the ceiling above a lobby elevator. The area had been enclosed with plastic sheets from floor to ceiling to isolate the construction zone from the rest of the guests' elevator area. An eight-foot glass fiber Werner Model Number FS108 Type I stepladder, with a 250-lb load capacity, was placed inside the enclosure to allow access to the ceiling of approximately 11 feet, 3 inches high. At approximately 12:50 p.m., Employee #1 was standing on the last safe step on the front section of the stepladder finishing the installation. A coworker climbed up the rear section of the stepladder and held the access door while Employee #1 was fastening the screws as the final stage of the installation. The coworker had just started descending the ladder, when the ladder collapsed, throwing both of them to the floor. Employee #1, who fell approximately 6 feet, sustained a concussion and suffered a head injury in the form of a bruised brain. He was transferred by paramedics to San Francisco General Hospital, where he was hospitalized for two days. The coworker was not injured. The cause of the accident was improper use of the stepladder. A serious accident-related citation was not issued, because the Division could not establish a substantial probability of death or serious injury from a 6-foot fall. The employer was issued General citations.

Keywords: HEAD, CARPENTER, LADDER, OVERLOADED, CONSTRUCTION, FALL, CONCUSSION, BRAIN, CONTUSION, HOTEL