Abstract

In October 1998, a 58-year-old male truck driver/yard worker died of traumatic head injuries when he fell 48" from a storage rack. The employee had climbed onto the storage rack to retrieve 3/4" round molding, 8 feet in length for a customer to load into his truck. The employee placed his feet on pine boards that were being stored on the middle row and was trying to retrieve molding being stored above (approximately 9 feet off the floor). After he cut the bundle string to release the individual molding pieces, he began to pull the pieces out which were being stored horizontally. As the pieces were removed, he handed them to the customer to load into his truck. During this process he apparently lost his balance, fell back and struck his head on the concrete floor. The customer was not an eyewitness to the event as he had been arranging items in the back of his truck. However, when he heard a thump, he turned around and found the victim laying face up on the concrete. The customer ran to find another employee to call 911 and then went back to be with the victim until EMS arrived. EMS arrived just a few minutes after 11:45 a.m. and transported the victim to the local hospital. After examination, the victim was air flighted to a major metropolitan hospital where he subsequently died. The cause of death was traumatic head injuries.

In order to prevent similar incidents from occurring, FACE investigators recommend:

  • Employees should use ladders or moveable stairs when retrieving materials which cannot be reached from floor level.
  • A written policy should be developed regarding when ladders or moveable stairs are required and how they are to be used.
  • Employees should be trained about the policy and how to identify and address fall hazards in the workplace.
  • Employees should keep their body centered when working at elevated heights to reduce the risk of falling off a ladder or moveable stairs.

Document Type

Report

Release Date

2-16-1999

Incident Number

98KY115

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