Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Report for North Carolina: Hispanic Worker Dies After Fall from Step Ladder While Cleaning Windows

摘要

On January 22, 2009, a 33-year-old Hispanic worker was injured after a fall from an 8-foot step ladder. A bucket partially filled with a cleaning solution was tied with a rag to the top of the ladder. The victim was cleaning windows when he fell onto a tiled floor and hit his head. At approximately 1:08 p.m., a tile foreman on the site called 911 and stayed with the conscious victim. The victim became unresponsive and at 1:14 p.m., Emergency Medical Services (EMS) arrived on the scene. When emergency medical personnel arrived, the victim was unconscious and having seizures. EMS transported the victim to a local hospital. The following morning the worker died from his injuries. Key contributing factors identified in this investigation include: work at an elevation, the improper use of a step ladder and insufficient worker training. NIOSH investigators concluded that, to help prevent similar occurrences, employers should: (1) eliminate the need to climb a ladder in order to clean windows by implementing an engineering control measure (e.g., using extender poles with a squeegee system or the use of an aerial lift). (2) ensure that workers understand how to properly use ladders in a manner that minimizes the risks of injury caused by falling from a ladder. (3) develop, implement, and enforce a comprehensive occupational safety and health program and provide worker training that includes hazard recognition and the avoidance of unsafe conditions. Additionally, general contractors should consider including in the sub-contract language, the requirement that subcontractors provide them with a written comprehensive safety program that addresses safe operating procedures and documents worker training for all the tasks to be performed.