Inspection Detail

Inspection: 317491249 - Glasstec Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Sc Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation

Investigation Summary

At approximately 11:02 a.m. on February 6, 2014, Employee #1 and Coworker #1, of Glasstec, Inc., were working at a 12-story rental condominium resort. The two-worker crew was assigned to pressure wash the building's exterior and then to apply a top coat of waterproofing to the balconies. They had completed the pressure washing on February 5, 2014, and were working from a swing stage scaffold to perform the waterproofing. This was a two-phase process: first to apply primer to the balconies from the top of the building down to the ground, and then to apply the top coat from the top down. By working in this manner, they would have only one set of materials on the scaffold during each phase of the waterproofing. Three sets of swing stage scaffolding had been installed prior to February 6, 2014, one each on the north side of the building, the east side, and the south side. All scaffolding equipment had been rented from Spider Staging. Employee #1 and Coworker #1 were positioned on the north-side scaffold when the east end of the scaffold collapsed. Employee #1, who was using fall protection, became suspended by his harness and lanyard (H&L), which were attached to the safety rope via the rope grab. As the scaffold fell, it hit Employee #1 and then landed on top of a palm tree. Emergency services were called, and Employee #1 was transported to the hospital, where he was admitted and treated for multiple injuries, including a fractured rib, a fractured left ankle, and injuries to the muscles in the right thigh. This event was investigated by the South Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Plan (SCOSH). The investigation determined that the crew foreman was on the building's south-side scaffold when the north-side scaffold collapsed. The collapsed scaffold measured approximately 55 feet long by 3 feet wide. In addition to the two workers, it supported the waterproofing materials (Xylene and Pecora P-801-VOC concrete primer). There were two identical motors operating to hoist the north-side scaffold, each a Zmac 1000 Series Hoist, load capacity 1,000 pounds, speed 35 feet per minute (FPM), weight approximately 75 pounds, voltage 1-phase 208 volts, and amps 8. The motor on the scaffold's east end was marked Identifier Number 0516. Examination of the wire rope established that it had broken above the motor. This north-side scaffold had been secured to the exterior of the building at the second floor parking garage the night of February 5, 2014. Shortly before the February 6, 2014, scaffold collapse, after loading the waterproofing materials onto the scaffold, Employee #1 and Coworker #1 had started to ascend the building on the scaffold. The investigation report estimated that the scaffold had risen approximately three floors, which would put the scaffold at approximately 25 to 30 feet high, when the wire rope running through the motor at the scaffold's east end broke, causing that end of the scaffold to collapse and land on top of a palm tree. The investigator's inspection of the wire rope revealed a spot where multiple wires in a single strand had broken. It appeared that the wire may have come in contact with some type of electrical device, but origin or timing of contact could not be determined. This identified spot on the wire rope was several feet above the location where the wire rope failed. (NOTE: some data eliminated from report: unable to determine the unit of measurement)

Keywords: FRACTURE, COLLAPSE, CLEANING, CONSTRUCTION, EQUIPMENT FAILURE, RIB, FALL, FALL PROTECTION, ANKLE, SCAFFOLD