Inspection Detail

Inspection: 3350055 - Eugene Thomas Construction Co., Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Va-E-Manassas (Regional Office)- Safety 0355114

Investigation Summary

At approximately 10:50 a.m. on December 24, 1985, Employee #1 was working on the seventh buck level of a 75 ft long tubular welded frame scaffold, preparing to raise the scaffold boards to the next level. He was approximately 42 to 45 ft above ground and adjacent to the fourth floor of a 5-floor office building under construction. The scaffold had no midrail installed as part of the guardrail system. Employee #1 was walking toward the north end of the scaffold along the outermost plank when he stepped across the third buck from the north end. The board he stepped from overlapped the end board and he could not see that the end board did not overlap the buck. The end board tipped up and down and he fell to the ground, landing on his head. Employee #1 died of severe head injuries. A few days prior, a gust of wind had blown the end board down and Employee #1 had put it back in place. The improperly reinstalled board plus the lack of a midrail were apparently the causes of the accident.

Keywords: HEAD, UNSECURED, WORK RULES, MIDRAIL, GUARDRAIL, INADEQUATE MAINT, CONSTRUCTION, FALL, SCAFFOLD, TUBULAR SCAFFOLD