Inspection Detail

Inspection: 317190791 - Bmc

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At 3:30 p.m. on April 8, 2014, Employee #1, a framer, Coworkers #1, #2, and #3, and their direct supervisor, Coworker #5, all employed by a construction framing contractor, were engaged in framing work at a large building project, the construction of 246 multifamily apartment units. The company had been working at the site for approximately three months and was expected to complete the contract in another two months. As the crew was standing up a wall frame that measured approximately 10 feet high by 14 feet long, it fell on top of Employee #1. No other members of the work crew were injured. Emergency services were called, and Employee #1 was transported to UCLA Medical Center, where he was admitted and treated for a fractured right leg. The employer reported this event to Cal/OSHA at 7:24 p.m. on April 8, 2014. During the subsequent investigation, it was determined that Employee #1 had worked for the company since 2012. Leading up to the event, Coworkers #1, #2, and #3 apparently had placed one end of the bottom of the wall frame into a bolt that was cemented into the floor. Employee #1 had not placed his end of the frame into the corresponding bolt. Therefore, the wall was unstable. During the standing up process, when the three coworkers let go of the wall, it fell, striking Employee #1 and pinning him between the frame and the floor.

Keywords: FRACTURE, INSTALLING, WALL, CARPENTER, CONSTRUCTION, CAUGHT BETWEEN, BOLT, STRUCK BY, LEG, UNSTABLE POSITION