Inspection Detail

Inspection: 119761534 - North Coast Fabricators Inc

Inspection Information - Office: Redding District Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 was the foreman of a crew of three that was working for a contractor who erected metal buildings. The steel frame had been erected; most of the siding had been put on; and the crew was putting on the metal panel roof. (The panels were 36 inches wide by 42 feet long--the full length of one side of the roof.) The crew had started on the east slope of the 4:12 sloped roof. When all the panels were stacked and all but two were in place, a light rain started. Rather than leave the panels unsecured on the roof or put the remaining two panels back on the ground, Employee #1 decided that his crew should put them in place and secure them. Employee #1 and two coworkers were spaced along the length of the panel while carrying it to its position when the top coworker slipped and fell to the roof. He held on to the panel and was able to regain his footing. Then Employee #1, who was at the lower end of the panel about 10 ft from the edge of the roof, fell. He let go of the panel and slid off the edge of the roof. He suffered a broken leg, a broken hip, a broken shoulder, and head injuries. He was taken to and treated at the Redding Medical Center. As of January 19, 1995, he was at Kentwood in Marin County undergoing therapy. Employee #1 is conscious and recognizes people, but does not speak. Safety belts and lifelines were used by the crew while securing the panels to the roof, but not when they walked the long panels into place. One of the crew said that the lines got in the way. Because the employees were not using safety belts and lifelines at the time of the accident, the employer was cited for a serious violation of 1730(e).

Keywords: FRACTURE, HEAD, ROOF, LIFELINE, WORK RULES, SAFETY BELT, CONSTRUCTION, FALL, SLIPPERY SURFACE, TIE-OFF