Inspection Detail

Inspection: 315774265 - Sears Holdings Management Corporation

Inspection Information - Office: Foster City District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 9:00 a.m. on May 3, 2012, Employee #1 of Sears Holdings Management Corporation suffered multiple rib fractures and a collapsed lung when he fell from a ladder while removing fiberglass ceiling insulation in the Stock Room at the Kmart-Sears Store (Kmart). On the day of the accident, Employee #1 was at the Kmart store in response to an e-mail from his supervisor, to check out loosely hanging fiberglass ceiling insulations that were causing obstruction to the upright sprinkler heads in the Women's Stock Room at K-Mart. Employee #1 used an 8-foot long stick to reach and strike the ceiling fiberglass insulations. At the time of the accident, Employee #1 was standing on the 2nd rung below the top step of the ladder (approximately 7 feet according to Employee #1), removing loosely hanging insulations from the ceiling. After hitting a piece of insulation, Employee #1 avoided it from landing on his head by batting the insulation away using his left hand. Employee #1 fell sideways to the right, hitting the bottom pipe of a clothes rack before landing on the floor. Employee #1 was working alone in the Stock Room at the time of the accident; none of the employees at the store knew he fell from the ladder. Employee #1 used his cell phone to contact a coworker at another store, who called the paramedics. Employee #1 was taken by ambulance to Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City where he was evaluated and treated. Employee #1 was hospitalized for 6 days.

Keywords: FRACTURE, EMERGENCY RESPONSE, CEILING, LADDER, RIB, FALL