Inspection Detail

Inspection: 315317941 - Bayview Environmental Services, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Oakland District Office

Investigation Summary

Sometime before 1:30 p.m. on May 11, 2012, an employee was working as a supervisor for Bayview Environmental Services, Inc. The site of the incident was the south-facing wall of the U.C. Berkeley Memorial Stadium, near Canyon Road, in Berkeley, California. The stadium was surrounded by scaffolding extending below grade to the top of the stadium. The scaffolding was encased in opaque white plastic sheeting. The worker was on a work platform above an excavation. He fell approximately 7 feet, 11 inches (2.4 meters) to the floor of the excavation. He sustained strains and sprains to his back. The inboard edge of the work platform from which the employee fell was approximately 20.5 inches (0.52 meters) horizontally from the surface of the stadium. The Berkeley Fire Department had to remove a large section of the plastic sheeting in order to more quickly gain access to the injured employee. He was lying at the foot of the scaffolding in an excavation approximately 68 inches (1.7 meters) below grade. The injured employee was taken via ambulance to Highland Hospital in Oakland, CA, where he was hospitalized for less than 24 hours for treatment. During the initial inspection, no missing or upset scaffolding planks were observed, and all guardrails were present.

Keywords: EXCAVATION, GUARDRAIL, CONSTRUCTION, PLANK, BACK, FALL, WORK PLATFORM, SPRAIN, SCAFFOLDING