Inspection Detail

Inspection: 316846823 - Yesco, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Nv-E-Las Vegas 0953220

Investigation Summary

At approximately 10:30 a.m. on July 31, 2013, Employee #1, a 31-year-old male, sign installer, with Yesco LLC, was working at a height of 150 ft at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. A crane was used to support an LED advertising sign approximately 150 feet up on an MGM Pylon. Employee #1 was assigned to cut the electrical wiring and conduit inside the LED sign while two coworkers were assigned to cut the steal bracing used to support the LED sign. Employee #1 completed the internal cuts on the LED and the two coworkers believed they completed cutting all the steal bracing. However, the west side of the sign did not pull away from the MGM Pylon. This caused Employee #1 to search for why the west side of the LED sign did not pull away from the MGM Pylon. Employee #1 stepped off the catwalk and onto a triangular piece of Alucobond which gave way and Employee #1 fell approximately 150 ft to the ground below. Employee #1 was taken to UMC Hospital, where he was treated for unspecified fracture injuries. A coworker stated that he did not see Employee #1 fall because he was on the east side of the LED sign and that transformers were blocking his view of Employee #1. A coworker also stated that all the workers were wearing harnesses. A coworker stated that he did not see Employee #1 without a harness. A coworker who did not see Employee #1 fall stated that Employee #1 must not have been tied off in order to fall. The two coworkers stated they had not been trained by Yesco for fall protection but they had received fall protection training from their prior employer Casino Lighting. On August 1, 2013, OSHA interviewed a witness accompanied by her husband as they were the first to arrive on scene after Employee #1 fell. The witness, a nurse by trade, provided medical assistance to Employee #1 and insured that Employee #1 did not move. The witness stated that Employee #1 was having difficulty breathing therefore she held Employee #1's mouth in an open position so he could breathe better. The witness stated that she did not remember seeing a harness on Employee #1; however, she remembered looking for a name tag on the shirt of Employee #1 and believed she would have remembered seeing a harness. The husband did not remember seeing a harness on Employee #1 at the time of the incident. Employee #1 worked for Yesco for six-years in the sheet metal shop and that he was on loan to the sign hangers for the last couple of jobs to include the MGM Grand job. Employee #1 stated that he received some training for powered platforms in July 2012 which he described as a refresher course for stages. Employee #1 stated the training briefly talked about fall protection but most of the instruction was for operating the motors on the swing stage which lasted approximately a half hour. Employee #1 stated that he relied on advice from his coworkers for fall protection and how to wear a harness. Workers on the site stated that there was no job hazard analysis done prior to working on the MGM Grand job.

Keywords: FRACTURE, PPE, FALL, FALL PROTECTION, ADVERTISING SIGN, ELEVATED WORK PLAT, UNTRAINED