Inspection Detail

Inspection: 307395905 - Bluewater Environmental Services, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: San Francisco District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 2:45 p.m. on August 7, 2006, Employees #1 and #2 were demolishing a five-story interior stairway. They used pneumatic jackhammers and rivet busters to break the concrete stairs, landings and divider/handrails, and used a torch to cut rebar embedded in the concrete. The plan for the demolition was to bring down individual stair spans by cutting the upper rebar connections, after all of the concrete had been removed from a span. However, the intended plan was not followed. Employees #1 and #2 were demolishing five concrete stairs while standing on them, on a stair span on which the upper rebar had already been cut. Another employee was using a jackhammer on a stair below where Employee #1 and #2 were standing. Employee #1 and #2 fell when the stairs collapsed while they were on them. Employee #2 was treated at San Francisco General Hospital for unspecified injuries and released after four hours. Employee #1 was hospitalized at San Francisco General Hospital for more than a week for a puncture in his abdomen that damaged his intestines.

Keywords: STAIR, ABDOMEN, COLLAPSE, WORK RULES, JACKHAMMER, FALL, PUNCTURE