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Employee #1, of Industrial Power Contractors, was on a suspended scaffold, 50 ft above ground level, in scrubber tower #2-1 of the Hunter power plant of Utah Power and Light. The scaffold was suspended by 1/2 in. wire rope. The upper end of the wire rope was wrapped over steel I-beams and secured with clamps. The lower end was double wrapped around needle beams, each made of two 12 ft lengths of 2 by 6 fir boards nailed together, and was secured with clamps. The scaffold consisted of 2 by 12 planks spaced approximately 12 in. apart, with 2 ft by 8 ft sections of 1/2 in. plywood laid over the planks. Employee #1 was removing metal pipe from the tower. The pipe was secured by wire rope to an overhead winch, then cut into 5 ft long sections with a hand-held mortar saw and lowered to ground level through a removable section of the scaffold floor. A section of metal pipe struck a needle beam, causing it to fracture. Employee #1 fell and was killed. He was not wearing fall protection, although safety belts were available, and the scaffold was not protected by guardrails. A representative of the employer stated that employees had a responsibility to protect themselves and that management could not ensure that employees continuously followed safe practices.
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