Text For Citation: 01 Item/Group: 001 Hazard: FALLING

Title 40.1-51.1(a) Code of Virginia: At this inspection site, the employer did n ot furnish employment and a place of employment which were free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to e mployees, in that employees were exposed to fall and collapse hazards while enga ged in masonry/bricklaying operations at a commercial building construction site . On April 21, 2009, at approximately 12:50 p.m., eight masonry workers were inj ured when the elevated scaffold they were working on collapsed. Emergency person nel from Leesburg, Loudoun Rescue and Sterling responded to the construction sit e. Loudoun County Department of Fire and Rescue reported this catastrophe to the Manassas Office of the Virginia Department of Labor & Industry (VOSH) at approx imately 2:00 p.m. and informed that the victims had been transported to area hos pitals. Four were admitted and three were treated and released. No annual inspec tion of the scaffold was conducted. One feasible and acceptable method, among ot hers, to correct this hazard is for the employer to comply with Section 6.5 of the ANSI/SIA A92.9-1993 Standard for Mast-Climbing Work Platforms, which requires the owner to "cause an ANNUAL INSPECTION to be performed on the Mast Cl imbing Work Platform no later than thirteen (13) months from the date of the pri or annual inspection. The inspection shall be made by a person qualified on the specific make and model of the Mast Climbing Work Platform. The inspection shall include all items specified by the manufacturer for an annual inspection." The employer shall also retain the following records for three years; Operator train ing; written records of all repairs; and written records of the frequent and ann ual inspections.