Accident Report Detail
Accident Summary Nr: 202451753 - Two Employees Fracture Legs When Steel Column Falls
Inspection Nr | Date Opened | SIC | NAICS | Establishment Name |
---|---|---|---|---|
307166728 | 10/07/2005 | 1791 | 238120 | Anvil Steel |
Abstract: On October 4, 2005, Employees #1 and #2 were working for a firm erecting wide flange, square tube structural steel for a two-story, single family residential construction project. The first story structure had been completed. The columns had been secured by anchor bolts, but the beams were held in place by temporary tack welds. The on-site supervisor then directed that the second-story columns be put in place before the temporary tack welds were replaced with permanent welds. This is the normal practice. At one point, a column for the second level was bolted to a beam in error, and a crane was needed to remove it. Employee #1 placed a ladder against the column and climbed it with a choker sling. His weight and that of the ladder against the column broke the tack welds holding its supporting beam. The beam rotated away from Employee #1, causing the ladder to fall with the column and its beam. Employee #1 jumped off the ladder a distance of about 10 feet to the cement pad below. He sustained a fracture to his right leg. Employee #2, working on the ground near the base of the ladder but with his back to the event, sustained a fracture to the left leg, as well as other injuries. Employee #1 was hospitalized, but there is no injury line for Employee #2. The main causal factor for this accident was inadequate bracing of the column.
End Use | Project Type | Project Cost | Stories | Non-building Height | Fatality | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Single family or duplex dwelling | New project or new addition | Under $50,000 | 2 | 24 |
Employee # | Inspection Nr | Age | Sex | Degree of Injury | Nature of Injury | Occupation | Construction |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 307166728 | Hospitalized injury | Fracture | Construction laborers | Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: 10 feet Cause: Erecting structural steel Fatality Cause: Fall from/with ladder |