Inspection Detail

Inspection: 315089615 - Five Star Masonry, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Wichita Area Office

Investigation Summary

On or about August 1, 2011, Employee #1 arrived at work about 6:00 a.m. Employee #1, a mason, was installing exterior stone to newly constructed elevated bathrooms on the east side of KSU football stadium. At about 12:30 p.m., upon returning from lunch, Employee #1 and Employee #2 were cranking the scaffold apparatus to raise the scaffold 3-4 feet higher. The employees were standing on the upper material deck. Before or after lunch, someone had removed one of two planks at that section so the scaffold could be raised through a cross bracing area. One plank was removed so workers could remove the cross brace. After the cross brace had been removed, the plank was not put back into the deck area. No other bracing rods were installed after the cross bracing was removed. As the employees cranked, the scaffold sections may have moved a bit and the one remaining plank became loose because bracing was not installed. There were no witnesses to how Employee #1 lost his balance. Employee #1 tripped or stepped onto a loose deck plank and fell 50 feet through the hole in the scaffold planking, hitting cross bracing below and the concrete surface. Employee #1 was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy is being conducted.

Keywords: PLANK, FALL, LOST BALANCE, SCAFFOLD