Inspection Detail

Inspection: 126761584 - Contour Composites

Inspection Information - Office: Utah Division Of Occupational Safety And Health

Investigation Summary

Employee #1, a maintenance worker for Contour Composites, had been working alone on an air conditioning unit on the roof of a single-story building. He was using an aluminum extension ladder to come down from the roof when he fell. Employee #1 sustained several broken ribs, a broken arm, and internal injuries. When the investigator arrived at the site, the ladder was leaning against the building, with the halves disconnected and one directly on top of the other. It had not been moved by anyone following the accident. Inspection of the ladder indicated that, when it was in the extended configuration and oriented in the normal vertical position, if the extended half of the ladder were moved upward and then released, the extended half would slide all the way to the ground and come to rest in the same manner as was observed during the investigation. It was found that the extended half of the ladder did not catch at the next rung because of a lever that prevented the hook part of the catch from engaging. Employee #1 did not remember details from before the accident, but he may have pulled up on the end of the ladder prior to falling.

Keywords: FRACTURE, MAINTENANCE, EXTENSION LADDER, WORK RULES, LADDER, DESCENDING, RIB, FALL, MECH MALFUNCTION