Inspection Detail

Inspection: 316820067 - Muehlam Certified Coatings, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: High Hazard Unit - Central

Investigation Summary

At approximately 2:00 p.m. on February 20, 2014, Employee #1 was descending from scaffolding located inside a butane sphere tank, Tank Number 514. Employee #1 was a painter, foreman and supervisor in the process of bead blasting welds on the interior of the butane sphere tank, so as to prepare it for inspection. While attempting climb down the scaffolding ladder, he lost his footing and fell approximately 22 ft, striking the bottom of the sphere. Employee #1 suffered multiple fractures to his left ankle and damage to his spine. A coworker heard a loud noise and thud around the same time that Employee #1 fell. Moments after the fall, the coworker heard screaming and noticed Employee #1's legs coming out of the manway of the sphere. Employee #1 exited the sphere and sat down on a chair located near the sphere's manway. The coworker drove him to the onsite office and notified the project foreman that he had been hurt in an accident. Upon arrival at the office, the project foreman transported him to a hospital in one city. Employee #1 was then transferred to another hospital in a different city, where he was hospitalized for treatment.

Keywords: FRACTURE, SPINE, LADDER, FALL, PAINTER, TANK, ANKLE, SCAFFOLD