Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 201128667 - Employee Is Injured in Fall from Roof

Accident Summary Nr: 201128667 -- Report ID: 0950613 -- Event Date: 08/30/2011
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
310100722	09/13/2011	1731	238210	Net-Com Services, Inc.

Abstract: At approximately 2:30 a.m. on August 30, 2011, Employee #1 was working for a telecommunications contractor, and his employer had a contract with a communications company to install a new antenna and some other new cables and components on the existing cellular-phone equipment installed on several church buildings in Menlo Park. This equipment was located on the two different roofs: on the sloped roof of the church and on the flat roof of the structure adjacent to the church. Employee #1 arrived at the jobsite, and Coworker #1, a foreman, was present at the jobsite with two other coworkers. It was Employee #1's first time working at this jobsite. Coworker #1 directed Employee #1 to go up on the flat roof by using a fixed ladder to test some new equipment that had just been installed. This fixed ladder was located against the church wall and in a wide roof opening measuring approximately 10 feet wide, 8 feet long and 10 feet high. The open edges of this roof opening were not guarded. Employee #1 and Coworker #1 went up on the flat roof. Both of them were wearing harnesses but Employee #1 and Coworker #1 were not tied off. The equipment to be tested was in the middle of the roof, far away from the roof edge. Employee #1 was working on the equipment when he realized he needed tools that were located back on the ground. To get back to the fixed ladder, Employee #1 and Coworker #1 had to pass by the edge of the roof opening. The 10 feet of this walkway near the opened roof's edge was approximately 24 inches wide and it was obstructed with three extending wood blocks that were anchored to the roof to hold some other equipment along with a unistrut that was holding a cable tray. Employee #1 tripped on one of these obstructions and lost his balance, and fell off the opened roof's edge approximately 10 feet below on the ground. Employee #1 fractured his right clavicle. Coworker #1 witnessed this accident. Employee #1 was transported to Stanford Hospital, and he was hospitalized for two days. After the accident, the employer installed a temporary guardrail on this opened side of the roof edge. The Division will issue serious accident related citations to the employer for not providing appropriate fall protection or guard rails to its employees when they were exposed to a fall hazard. (T8 CCR 1632(b)(1), 1670(a).

Keywords: FRACTURE, ROOF, COLLARBONE, FALL, FALL PROTECTION, ROOF OPENING

Accident Details
End Use		Project Type		Project Cost	Stories	Non-building Height	Fatality
Other building		Alteration or rehabilitation		Under $50,000	1	10

Employee Details
Employee #	Inspection Nr	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation	Construction
1	310100722			Hospitalized injury	Fracture	Inspectors, testers and graders	Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: 10 feet Cause: Temporary work (buildings, facilities) Fatality Cause: Fall from roof

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