Fall from collapsing structure or equipment 21 to 25 feet · Fractures and other injuries, unspecified
At a glance
Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Bosworth Steel Erectors, Inc., Charles Schwab Westlake, WESTLAKE, TEXAS 76262
on — Fractures and other injuries, unspecified, affecting the nonclassifiable.
Final narrative
Ironworkers were connecting structural steel framing members at roof level. A scissor lift platform was extended approximately 25 feet above the concrete slab when the tagline rope on the end of the beam snagged on the handrail of the scissor lift.
The top of the scissor lift was pulled over to the north.
When the lift's center of gravity moved outside of the wheels, the scissor lift fell over. An employee was on the platform when the scissor lift fell over. He was tied off to the anchor point in the scissor lift and hit the concrete slab on level 4, suffering broken bones and internal damage.
An employee was exiting the cab of a crane and getting onto an 8-foot A-frame ladder. He stepped down onto the ladder s second step from the top and his foot slipped due to condensation buildup from the morning temperature change. As he fell, his left boot got caught between the top two steps of the ladder, resulting in a compound fracture to his lower left leg. He then fell 8 feet to the ground below, landing face down, and sustaining an abrasion to his chin.
An employee in an aerial lift was pulling on a come-along to align a piece of steel. The chain broke and struck the employee's leg, knocking him to the floor of the lift. He suffered a broken tibia and fibula.
A crew was using a seamer to install roof panels on a new building. As the employee was placing the seamer on a platform at the edge of the roof, the employee stepped onto the platform. The platform and the employee then fell approximately 23 feet to the ground. The employee sustained a lower back injury.
An employee was moving 6x6 wood debris while repairing a roof when the roof caved in and the employee fell 24 feet to the concrete floor below. The employee suffered bruised lungs, a scratch on his right lung, multiple spinal vertebrae fractures, and a fractured left iliac crest. Fall protection was not used at the time of incident.
An employee was climbing a 32-foot fiberglass extension ladder to get onto a roof. When the employee was a little more than halfway up the ladder, the fiberglass cracked and the ladder failed. The employee fell onto the deck below, resulting in fractures to both heels.
An employee was inspecting the existing metal roofing system of a commercial property when the roof gave way and he fell approximately 20-25 feet to the floor in the warehouse space below. The employee sustained a head injury, kidney and liver lacerations, and fractures to the orbital bone, right wrist, pelvis, and ribs.
An employee was using a portable ladder to descend into a shaft. Both side rails of the portable ladder snapped, causing the employee to fall approximately 22 feet to the concrete level below. The employee sustained lacerations on their head and multiple fractures to their hip and pelvis.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 238120)
An employee fell from a step ladder while reaching for a tie-off point. He impacted the ground, and landed on his bolt bag which contained tools. The employee was hospitalized with fractured ribs, and a lacerated spleen and kidney.
An employee was attempting to lift a steel beam from a horizontal, stacked position to a vertical position using a crane. They had placed two hooks on the east side of the beam on the flange. As the employee was hoisting the crane, the beam began to shift and pulled the employee forward onto the stack. When the material shifted, the hooks released and the material fell, pinning the employee between the two beams. The employee was hospitalized with soft tissue contusions on their proximal right thigh and interior left thigh.
An employee was standing on the surface of a steel beam about two feet wide. He slipped and fell backward, landing on the concrete ground about 20 feet below. The employee sustained a broken pelvis.
An employee was unloading a rebar delivery from a flatbed, 19-wheel trailer. The employee rigged the load with wire rope chokers. The load was picked up 3-4 feet above the trailer deck by a crane. The load began to swing and the employee grabbed onto it to prevent it from being pushed off the trailer deck. The crane continued to lift the load, and the employee let go so the crane did not lift him to the third story. The employee fell approximately 12 feet to the ground below, resulting in a back injury and fractured vertebrae.
An employee was attaching a steel angle plate weighing (approximately 200 pounds) to the end of a structural member (5,000 pounds) and was supported by dunnage. The dunnage was a crane mat (11 inches tall) with a 4x6 board on top of it and it supported five identical members. The main piece was 30.75 feet long, 37.25 feet tall, and 1 food wide. As the employee slid the piece of metal on top of the member to begin attaching it, the entire member began to tip over. The employee went to stop the main piece from tipping over and it landed on his ankle, fracturing it.
After cutting a slab of beef short ribs, an employee turned to grab the pieces he had cut and his right hand contacted the saw blade. The employee sustained an amputation to his right index finger.
An employee was unloading a carpet pad from a truck when they fell from the truck dock to the concrete below, resulting in five fractured ribs and an injury to their left lung.
An employee was walking up a walkway to enter a building through the back entrance when she tripped over the lip of the cement ramp. The employee fell and sustained a fractured right hip.