Inspection Detail

Inspection: 314095134 - A-N-R Door Systems, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Savannah Area Office

Investigation Summary

On July 27, 2011, a technician was working on the second floor of a newly constructed two-story student campus building at a college in Brunswick, GA. The technician was troubleshooting a malfunctioning chain-driven roll-up (retractable) commercial overhead door. The roll-up door was one of four similar new doors installed for use within the integrated fire door control system of the building. The employee, working alone, had erected a fiberglass 8-foot A-frame stepladder and climbed the ladder to access the roll-up door motor located in the ceiling space above the second floor corridor. The corridor height from the carpeted floor to ceiling tiles was about 10 feet. The employee apparently ascended the step ladder to about the fourth or fifth rung from the bottom of the ladder for a work position, and removed a single 24-inch by 24-inch acoustic ceiling tile. He apparently then removed the motor cover that enclosed the roll-up door motor. The 110V single-phase roll-up door motor was energized at the time of the event, and at some point subsequent a motor overload protector was activated. After removing the motor cover, the employee apparently disconnected at least two of the low voltage (24 VDC) fire alarm wires from the alarm terminals. He fell from his position on the ladder to the carpet-covered concrete floor below. He was killed. There were no witnesses. Medical examination(s) did not confirm any electrical shock or electrocution injuries, and the cause of death was determined to be massive skull fracture and trauma injuries from the fall. Investigation determined that the ladder the employee had used had visible defects, including but not limited to a bent right-side spreader bar, a broken left-side spreader bar, a bent/damaged ladder rung, a large burn hole in the top of the ladder, missing anti-slip pads on the ladder feet, and several cracks in the fiberglass side rails. Items recovered at the scene and presumed used by the employee included but were not limited to a small flashlight, a multi-meter, a phillips screw driver, vice grips, and a small pocket knife. It was also learned that at the time of the event the employee was talking on a cell phone to the roll-up door manufacturer's tech support regarding the malfunctioning roll-up door and fire alarm integration.

Keywords: ELECTRIC MOTOR, FRACTURE, HEAD, LADDER, CONSTRUCTION, ELECTRICAL WORK, FALL, DOOR MACHINE