Inspection Detail

Inspection: 991733.015 - Southwind Refrigeration Services, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Department Of Labor, Licensing, And Regulation Division Of Labor And Industry Maryland Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

At 2:30 p.m. on August 23, 2014, Employee #1 and Employee #2 were removing the refrigerated ceiling panels from the T-track system 39 feet above the floor. The two employees first removed the 5 screws from the top of the panel and the 5 screws from the bottom of the panel, both through the T-Track system. Previously, the employees were working on two panels at a time, after removing the screws from the top and bottom of the T-tracking system. They would then cut the foam at each end of the panel, jar it loose with a scissor lift, and then lift by hand in the ceiling of the box. The employees stationed on top of the box would then slide the panels onto the scissor lift and the panels were then lowered to the floor and stowed. On this morning, Employee #1 and Employee #2 removed all of the top and bottom screws from 11 of the 12 panels in the entire 12 panel run. As a result of the panels not being secured into the T-tracking system, Employee #1, while positioned on top of the panel on his hands and knees, hit the supporting all-thread T-track arm. The T-track shifted in the "out" direction, sliding out from the panel. Employee #1 fell 39 feet to the concrete floor beneath him, along with an additional 4 panels, killing him. Employee #2 was standing at the opposite end of the panel that had fallen and immediately grabbed the joists above him with both hands, and jumped in a 180 degree direction behind him, falling to the panel directly behind where he was standing. While doing so, Employee #2 landed with his left knee beneath him in a seated position and suffered a sprained or torn meniscus in his knee.

Keywords: Ceiling Panel, Fall, Fracture, Knee, Sprain, Structural Collapse, Unsecured Panel, Unstable Position