On May 12, 2014, a 41-
year-old construction worker suffered a severe traumatic brain injury when he
fell approximately 14 feet and hit his head on the concrete below.
The incident occurred at a
new multi-family home construction site. The injured worker had only worked for
two weeks for the employer, a small construction company that provided framing
and carpentry services.
He had been installing floor
trusses on the second story above the garage of a multi-family home under
construction at the time of the incident. The foreman and another employee were
standing about 100 feet away in front of the building when they heard a noise
and responded.
They found the injured worker
lying on the concrete, breathing but barely conscious. He was still connected
to the rope and harness of his fall arrest system, which was anchored to a beam
next to the garage.
Although the injured worker was wearing fall
protection, there had been too much slack in the rope, and it was not able to
stop his fall.
The foreman had warned him
about having too much slack in the rope one week before the incident.
He was taken to the hospital
where he was found to have multiple skull fractures, brain hemorrhaging, and a
spinal fracture.
He underwent emergency
surgery to relieve brain swelling. Nearly a year later, the injured worker is
still in rehabilitation for his brain injuries and requires 24-hour-a-day
living assistance.
Requirements
Make sure the appropriate fall protection system is provided,
installed, and implemented according to requirements when employees are exposed
to fall hazards of ten feet or more to the ground or lower level while working
on any surface that does not meet the definition of a walking/working surface.
See WAC 296-155-24611(1)(c)
Develop and implement a written fall protection work plan that
includes each area of the work place where the employees are assigned and where
fall hazards of ten feet or more exist.
See WAC 296-155-24611(2).
Provide retraining for employees exposed to fall hazards when
inadequate use indicates that they have not retained the knowledge of how to
use fall protection systems safely. See WAC
296-155-24621.
Recommendations
Consider using aerial work platforms or scaffolds to reduce the risk
of falls when installing trusses, rather than having workers stand on the beam
edge.
Reduce exposure to falls by placing and securing plywood over the
already installed trusses to create a walking/working surface to which an
anchor can be secured for a personal fall restraint system.