Inspection Detail

Inspection: 311060701 - Millbrae Glass Ltd Dba Capitol Glass Co.

Inspection Information - Office: San Francisco District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 6:50 a.m. on January 5, 2009, Employee #1, an apprentice glazer, was prepping the canopy openings on a commercial building. He was working at the building's fourth and sixth elevations, beginning at the fourth elevation. After completing preparation of the first opening on the fourth elevation, he moved onto the second opening, which was covered with a piece of plywood. Using a ladder, he climbed through the first opening and to reach and remove the board covering the second opening. The board measured 3 feet by 5 feet and had two 4 inch nails securing it to the perimeter of the canopy. He removed the nails and was about to grab the board, but noticed that there was a lot of debris on top of the board. Employee #1 then climbed of the ladder and onto the canopy to remove the debris, without any means of fall protection. While he was tossing small pieces of wood, empty caulking tubes, and trash down to a coworker, an empty caulking tube rolled just out of reach (about 1 foot). As he strained to reach farther for the tube, the board tipped over and slid of the canopy, bringing Employee #1 along with it. Employee #1 landed on his right foot. He was taken to Mills Peninsula Hospital, where he was hospitalized and treated for a fractured ankle and fibula on his right leg, which required surgery. The accident investigation determined that the accident was a result of Employee #1 failing to use a personal fall arrest or personal fall restraint system with positioning devices.

Keywords: FRACTURE, MAINTENANCE, REPAIR, LADDER, FALL, FALL PROTECTION, WORK SURFACE, ANKLE, LEG