Inspection Detail

Inspection: 104478300 - Marvin Weaver

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

Investigation Summary

On March 7, 1990, Employee #1 and two coworkers, all carpenters, were on the second floor of building #4 on lot #490, assembling walls and windows that were to be put in place later. The coworkers were working along the south wall while Employee #1 was working in the middle of the second floor. He was next to a 3 ft wide by 12 ft long floor opening for the stairs that would be installed later. As Employee #1 hammered nails into the wall section, he backed up toward the unguarded floor hole. When he got to where the last nail would have been driven, he stepped into the opening and fell 18 ft to the concrete basement floor. Paramedics arrived and administered first aid until he was flown to Shock-Trauma, where he died six days later. Alcohol may have contributed to this accident. The paramedics found one empty and one half-empty miniature bottle of Old Grandad in the employee's pockets, and a full can of beer was found in his lunchbox. The paramedics also could smell alcohol on the employee's breath. Drinking could have led the employee to lose his balance and fall through the floor opening.

Keywords: UNGUARDED FL OPENING, ALCOHOL, CARPENTER, WORK RULES, CONSTRUCTION, INTOXICATED, FALL