Inspection Detail

Inspection: 125774596 - Valley Steel Construction

Inspection Information - Office: Fresno District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 9:30 a.m. on March 5, 1997, Employee #1, an ironworker on his third day of work, was doing roofing for a general contractor that erected commercial and industrial metal buildings. He was working on a 100 ft by 150 ft building that measured 20 ft 4 in. from the top of the roof to ground level outside; the roof pitch was 1 in 24. Employee #1 had arrived at the work site at approximately 7:00 a.m., and had gone to the roof to apply mastic to the roof sheeting. This mastic was unrolled on the overlap seams of the 3 ft by 25 ft roofing sheets, and was much like weather-stripping rolls. Employee #1 was working on the north side of the building when he fell 16 ft to the ground. He was found bleeding from the face and head, having sustained broken facial bones, broken ribs, and a broken wrist. The foreman had a coworker transport him to be treated, but the coworker could not find any medical services in the area. The coworker ended up driving Employee #1 approximately 25 miles to the closest hospital, even though there was an ambulance company near the accident location. Employee #1 was signed into the Emergency Room at 10:50 a.m., and he was hospitalized for twelve days. The company reported the accident on March 6, 1997 at 9:00 a.m. The employer was cited for a violation of T8CCR 1730(e), serious, for not being protected from falls from roofs; for a violation of T8CCR 342(a), regulatory, for not reporting the accident within eight hours; for a violation of T8CCR 1512(i), general, for having no written plan to provide emergency services; and for a violation of T8CCR 1510(a), general, for not giving instructions regarding the hazards and safety precautions applicable to the type of work in question and reading the code of safe practices.

Keywords: FRACTURE, HEAD, ROOF, IRON WORKER, WORK RULES, RIB, FALL, FALL PROTECTION, FACE