Inspection Detail

Inspection: 302128954 - Imre Contracting, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Parsippany Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 11:45 a.m. on September 24, 1998, Employee #1, a carpenter for Irme Construction, was working on the steep, 10-in-12 sloped roof of a house under construction. He was apparently in the northeast corner, installing 2 by 8 rafters between the roof and an adjacent wall when he fell 15.5 ft to the ground. After landing, Employee #1 was struck in the hip and face by one of the rafters that he was about to install. He was flown to Morristown (NJ) Memorial Hospital Trauma Center for treatment of a fractured right hip and pelvis, a fractured left wrist, and facial bruises. Subsequent investigation found that while some 2 by 4 slide guards had been installed on the partially sheeted roof, there were none in the area where Employee #1 was working. A retractable fall arrest system was feasible, however, because the main rafters and sheeting from the adjacent east roof section had already been set. The employer was cited for a violation of T8CCR 1926.501(b)(13), for failure to have a fall protection system or plan in place. It was also found that neither Employee #1 nor the president of the construction company were familiar with OSHA regulations regarding residential construction. Despite having been in business for 12 years, the president had never consulted OSHA regarding what regulations applied to him. He did acknowledge that he had worked on union jobs prior to starting his own company and was aware of OSHA site inspections. In addition, there had been none of the required safety talks or training at the site, and neither Employee #1 nor his coworkers had been trained in fall protection requirements (subpart M). The employer was cited for violations of T8CCR 1926.21(b)(2) and T8CCR 1926.503(a)(1).

Keywords: FRACTURE, ROOF, WORK RULES, CONSTRUCTION, PELVIS, FALL, FALL PROTECTION, FALLING OBJECT, UNTRAINED, SLOPE