Inspection Detail

Inspection: 310489919 - Select Painting

Inspection Information - Office: Long Beach District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 11:15 a.m. on November 15, 2007, Employee #1, a laborer for a painting contractor, was directed to clean and sand a second-floor apartment balcony door and casing before painting. He was climbing an extension ladder placed on a walkway at ground level and leaning against the building wall adjacent to the balcony when he fell 19 ft 2 in. to the walkway. Employee #1 sustained head injuries, was knocked unconscious, and lapsed into a coma. He was transported to Los Angeles County, USC Medical Center. At the time this report was written, he had been in a coma for 30 days, with no signs of recovering. The ladder was positioned so that Employee #1 had to span a distance of 2 ft horizontally along the wall to climb from the ladder over the balcony guard rail. There was also a 4 ft drop from the top of the guardrail to the balcony floor. The extension ladder was not secured to the balcony, nor was it blocked in any manner to prevent it from being displaced. The employer was cited for a serious, accident related violation of T8CCR 1675(j).

Keywords: HEAD, UNCONSCIOUSNESS, EXTENSION LADDER, UNSECURED, BLOCKS, WORK RULES, CONSTRUCTION, FALL, PAINTER, UNSTABLE POSITION