Accident: 120276761 - Injured In Fall Through Roof

On October 2, 2000, Employee #1 was working alone on the roof of a commercial building. He was cutting out damaged pieces of the roof, which created approximately 4 ft by 8 ft holes. Employee #1 then removed the damaged material, replaced them, and rebuilt and re-roofed the area. After cutting away a section of the roof, but before he had a chance to remove the damaged area, he stepped onto a previously cut section and fell approximately 21 ft to the floor. Employee #1 sustained fractured ribs on both sides of his body, head trauma including a concussion and a lacerated scalp, a punctured right lung, and a cracked 10th vertebra in his spine. Employee #1 apparently had not received any fall protection training or equipment.

construction, roof, roof opening, fall, fracture, head, concussion, fall protection, untrained, work rules

Accident: 119947901 - Injured When Forklift Runs Into Support Beam

At approximately 1:50 p.m. on September 8, 2000, Employee #1, a machine and forklift operator employed by Premier Personnel, (his primary employer), was operating a forklift at a secondary employer's warehouse and manufacturing facility. The forklift struck a structural steel support pole, and he sustained a concussion. Employee #1 was transported by private automobile to Concentra Medical Center in Ontario. He was subsequently transferred to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center and hospitalized for three days.

ind trk operator, industrial truck, head, concussion, struck against, support posts, warehouse

Accident: 120308267 - Injured In Fall With Purlin Beam

Employee #1 worked for a heavy construction contractor who built freeway overpasses. He was preparing to descend a ladder to a lower level at an overpass project when he stepped on a purlin beam instead of the ladder rung. The beam was not designed to be a weight-bearing support; it failed under Employee #1's weight and he fell approximately 10 ft. He sustained injuries that included a spine fracture at the L-1 level, two fractured ribs on his left side, a ruptured spleen, and a concussion.

construction, head, beam, fall, descending, ladder, fracture, spine, unstable position, concussion

Accident: 170571913 - Injured In Fall From Aerial Lift Platform

At approximately 9:00 a.m. on April 24, 2000, Employee #1 was on a Skyjack elevated work platform, repairing a lift motor for door #5 in the blast freezer. He lost his balance and fell approximately 18 ft to the concrete floor. Employee #1 suffered a concussion and neck injuries, for which he was hospitalized. The guardrail system had been altered by the employer several years earlier, and was 7 in. lower than the required 42 in. minimum height.

elevated work plat, guardrail, fall, neck, concussion, aerial lift, fall protection, work rules

Accident: 120277173 - Killed In Fall From Catwalk

On March 16, 2000, Employee #1, a training supervisor for a law enforcement agency, was observing a SWAT police training exercise from the ceiling of a block house. He was standing on two 11 in. planks that formed a catwalk above the concrete floor. Employee #1 stooped down to talk to a trainee and, when he stood back upright, he apparently lost his balance and fell backward 8 ft 8 in. onto the floor. His head struck against the concrete floor and he suffered head trauma, from which he died. The causal factor of the accident was the lack of guardrails on the cat walk; in their absence he should have been utilizing another type of fall protection.

catwalk, guardrail, fall, concussion, lost balance, head, elevated work plat, fall protection, work rules

Accident: 170363162 - Suffers Brain Damage In Fall To Floor

At approximately 6:00 p.m. on November 19, 1999, Employee #1, a general purpose worker at a large retail grocery, was washing small pieces of equipment in the left-most compartment of a 3three-compartment sink. For some reason, Employee #1 fell and struck the back of his head on the floor. He suffered internal damage to his brain, and was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Eureka, CA, where he underwent brain surgery and a lengthy hospitalization.

brain, head, fall, cleaning, struck against, concussion