Real-life Scenario
Fall Through a Floor Opening
A construction laborer was fatally injured when he fell through a floor opening to a concrete floor approximately 10 feet, 10 inches below.
The victim had spent the majority of his work shift cutting plywood sheathing and handing it up to coworkers who were sheathing the roof. He was working from the second floor of a two-story, single-family home under construction where he and other workers had completed most, but not all, of the subfloor (plywood sheathing secured over floor joists) on previous workdays.
They had left a floor area open in an attic space where a walk-in closet was to be constructed later. At the end of the shift, the victim's lead worker asked two workers to complete the second story subfloor in the attic space. One of these workers joined the roofers to lay roofer's felt. The other co-worker joined the victim and together, they cut two sheets of plywood sheathing and placed them over the joists in the open area in the attic space.
They were not wearing fall protection. The co-worker reported he was looking down at the sheets of unsecured plywood sheathing trying to make the pieces fit into an opening that was not square and when he looked up the victim was gone. The victim had apparently stepped onto a piece of the unsecured plywood sheathing that covered part of the floor opening, and when the plywood sheathing pivoted on the floor joist, he fell through the opening.
Conclusion
- Ensure all employees are provided with and use appropriate fall protection when exposed to fall hazards.
- Ensure through employee training and job-site inspection that correct construction procedures, such as use of appropriate fasteners, are followed during all phases of construction.
- Develop, implement, and enforce a comprehensive, written fall protection program that, at a minimum, complies with applicable OSHA fall protection standards.
- Assign a competent person to inspect the worksite before work begins and after work finishes to identify new or potential fall hazards and to determine the appropriate fall prevention systems for workers.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
2-5. When should the competent person inspect the worksite for fall hazards?
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