Inspection Detail

Inspection: 315831214 - Aquatic Environments Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: American Canyon District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 9:20 a.m. on January 28, 2014, Employee #1, a maintenance worker, and Coworker #1, both employed by Aquatic Environments Inc., were performing the usual maintenance work on a man-made pond/lake located on a residential property. They were assigned to make sure the water pump used to circulate water in the pond was in good operating condition and to do necessary clean-up of leaves and other debris on the water. While they were working at the west side of the pond, they spotted a piece of jute netting, a material used for landscaping, which had found its way into the water. They proceeded to pull it out of the water and onto the embankment. Employee #1 was on one end of the netting and Coworker #1 on the other end. As they pulled the netting, Employee #1 slipped and fell, with his buttocks landing on his right leg. Coworker #1 placed a call to their supervisor and a call for emergency services. Employee #1, whose leg was injured in the fall, attempted to move up the embankment. Emergency responders arrived and transported Employee #1 by ambulance to the Sonoma Valley Hospital, where he was admitted and treated for a fractured leg. Employee #1 remained hospitalized for two to three days. This event was reported to Cal/OSHA by the employer's Office Manager at 8:54 a.m. on January 30, 2014. Cal/OSHA's subsequent investigation determined that the employer had failed to meet the reporting requirement for serious injuries. Employee #1 had been employed by the company as a permanent maintenance worker for 1.5 months when this injury occurred.

Keywords: FRACTURE, MAINTENANCE, CLEANING, SLIP, CONSTRUCTION, FALL, LEG, WATER