Inspection Detail

Inspection: 315774794 - Ekim Painting - North Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Foster City District Office

Investigation Summary

Sometime before 2:00 p.m. on July 20, 2012, Employee #1 was working as a painter in Santa Clara CA. He had two employers. Barrett Business Services, Inc., was his primary employer, and Ekim Painting - North, Inc., was his secondary employer. Based on a written contract between Ekim Painting - North, Inc., and Barrett Business Services, Inc., the secondary employer was responsible for Employee #1's work safety and training. Employee #1 stated that, on the day of the incident, he had been assigned by his supervisor to paint roof gutters on an exterior part of a two-story residential house. Employee #1 was up on the roof. He stated that he was standing on a 6-foot (1.8-meter) stepladder. It had been placed on the roof. The roof had a slightly sloped and uneven surface, as it was covered with curved ceramic tiles. Employee #1 stated that he was using this stepladder as a single ladder. That is, he was using it without opening it. Rather than have all four of the ladder's feet on the surface of the roof, he had only two of the ladder's feet on the roof. The top of the ladder was leaning against a wall. Employee #1 stated that the ladder was accordingly not secure. While Employee #1 was on the ladder, it started slipping off the roof. Employee #1 fell off the roof. As he fell, his body struck a stucco column with a 2-foot by 2-foot (0.6-meter by 0.6-meter) surface, which was about 10 feet (3 meters) below the roof. He then bounced to the stairways below the stucco column, where he hit his head on the metal railing of stairways. He landed on the sidewalk and finally stopped falling. The total fall distance from the roof to the ground was about 19 feet (5.8 meters). Employee #1 suffered a laceration to his head and abrasions to his left side of the body. The Santa Clara, CA, fire department responded. Employee #1 was hospitalized for this injury, but not for longer than 24 hours. A coworker witnessed this accident directly while he was working near Employee #1. At about 2:00 p.m. on July 20, 2012, The Santa Clara fire department reported the injury to the San Mateo District office. Both of Employee #1's employers reported this incident in a timely manner as well. An inspection was initiated on August 18, 2012. Both Employee #1 and the coworker stated in interviews that it was a common practice at the jobsite to use a stepladder on a sloped surface as a single ladder. During the investigation, a report from the Santa Clara fire department, which included pictures of the accident scene, was reviewed. Based on statements given, the employer (the narrative did not say which one) was cited for two serious violations. The employer failed to ensure that the stepladder was placed on secure and level footings (T8 CCR 3276 (e) (7). The employer failed to ensure that the stepladder was not used as a single ladder (T8 CCR 3276 (e)(16)(C).

Keywords: HEAD, ROOF, UNSECURED, WORK RULES, LADDER, STRUCK AGAINST, CONSTRUCTION, FALL, SLIPPERY SURFACE, PAINTER