Inspection Detail

Inspection: 310954581 - Southern Pan Services Company

Inspection Information - Office: Atlanta West Area Office

Investigation Summary

On June 7, 2007, Employee #1 and #2 were working on the construction of an elevator shaft. A work platform that was supported inside the shaft under construction fell from the 32nd floor to the 27th floor. The platform was held in place by "flippers" that were mounted on the support beams for the platform. The flippers would retract while the platform was being raised and when it reached the next level they would flip out into an embeded box-out in the concrete wall. The three embeds in the southwest wall were located directly above the elevator doors. The General Contractor ordered the elevator door height be increased from 8 ft 2 in. to 8 ft 4 in., thereby decreasing the thickness of the concrete below the flipper pockets to less than 3 in. In addition to reducing the concrete thickness, the #10 rebar that was located below the flipper embeds at the lower levels was omitted by the rebar crew that built the structure for the link beam over the elevator, reducing the support for the flippers. The work platform was positioned in the elevator shaft, and the elevator form was placed on the platform. All three of the flipper pockets failed, and Employees #1 and #2 fell with the platform. Employee #1 was killed and Employee #2 sustained injuries that required hospitalization.

Keywords: UNSECURED, WORK RULES, CONSTRUCTION, EQUIPMENT FAILURE, FALL, ELEVATED WORK PLAT, SCAFFOLD, UNSTABLE POSITION