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on august 27 2013 employees #1 and #2 of templar inc. a construction company specializing in fiber optic installation and services were working along a highway. the highway speed limit was posted at 55 miles per hour. employee #1 was marking the location of an underground line that ran below the turn lane. employee #2 was next to employee #1 and performing the duties of a flagger. a privately owned vehicle was travelling in the travel/through lane. the vehicle veered to the right entered the turn lane and struck both workers. emergency medical services were called. employee #1 was declared dead at the scene. employee #2 refused emergency medical treatment for the bruises he received when struck.

at approximately 6:30 a.m. on may 13 2013 employee #1 a foreman regularly employed by integrity rebar placers was operating a rough terrain forklift at a contracted job site in murrieta ca. he was using the forklift to move bundles of steel. employee #1 was positioning the forklift to pick up another load when the forklift tipped back and over. employee #1 exited the cab of the forklift as the machine tipped over. the forklift fell on top of employee #1 pinning him under the lower section of the boom and crushing his abdomen. he was killed. the employer notified cal/osha of this fatality at approximately 8:35 a.m. on may 13 2013. the subsequent investigation determined that employee #1 had been employed by the company for approximately 2.5 months.

on april 9 2013 employee #1 was installing vinyl sidings on a single story residence. the employee was standing an a-frame ladder that was set on a plank of a scaffold. the scaffold moved causing employee #1 to lose his balance. the employee fell from the ladder approximately 12-ft to the ground. employee #1 was transported to an area hospital where he was treated for an abdominal fracture. the employee remained hospitalized.

on november 27 2012 employee #1 was operating an asphalt-pulverizing machine. the employee's work clothing zipper was caught in the asphalt-pulverizing machine pulling his body into the squeeze point action of the machine. employee #1 was amputated from the abdominal point of his body. the employee was pronounced dead at the scene.

at approximately 11:57 a.m. on september 28 2012 employee #1 was working with a coworker. their job was to replace the felt under the concrete tile at the residential location. once the felt was replaced the employees would put the tile back into place. employee #1 removed debris from a roof and dumping leftover roof tile into a dumpster on the ground. his coworker the foreman was using a bostitch nail gun (model number f21pl serial number 12194029b) to insert nails into roofing tiles. after the felt was replaced the employees would put the tile back in place. while walking on the pitch of the roof employee #1 was carrying a load of leftover tile when he slipped and fell into his coworker. the coworker tried to catch employee #1 but the nail gun went off sending a nail into employee #1's abdomen. employee #1 was transported to a medical center where he underwent surgical procedures and was hospitalized for postoperative care.

on december 4 2013 employee #1 a carpenter employed by valley trinity construction co. inc. was engaged in interior carpentry work at a commercial building. he fell from a ceiling joist a fall height of approximately 6 feet. emergency services were called and employee #1 was transported to a hospital where he was admitted and treated for bruising/abrasions to his back and neck.

on august 22 2013 employee #1 employed by southland/tutor perini corporation was working on a pipeline project. a piece of cement grout approximately 1.5 feet by 1.5 feet by 6 feet long fell out of the tunnel face approximately 3 feet above the invert. the cement pinned employee #1's leg against a roadheader. employee #1 sustained bruising/contusions/abrasions. he did not require hospitalization. this incident was reported to cal/osha which subsequently led to an investigation.

on july 9 2013 employee #1 with aquatic environments inc. was performing maintenance on a backhoe-like piece of equipment (called an aquamog) used to maintain aquatic environments. employee #1's leg was trapped between a moving boom section and the swing saddle/a-frame previously installed on the aquamog vessel. employee #1 was hospitalized.

on june 19 2013 employee #1 employed by a construction company was doing roofing work on a new home construction. he was installing roofing felt paper. he walked backwards and fell off the roof. he landed on the ground a distance of 12 to 14 feet. emergency services were called. employee #1 was transported to the hospital where he was treated for a fracture of the left arm and a scrape to the left side of his face. he was not hospitalized.

on june 18 2013 an employee was working as the driver of a tractor trailer dump truck. he was delivering sand to a construction site. to reach the site where he would dump the sand he backed his rig up a previously deposited pile of dirt. the left rear wheels of the trailer were raised approximately 2 feet (0.6 meters) above the level of the rest of the ground. with the truck not level the employee then raised the trailer bed to dump the sand. the tractor and trailer overturned to the right side. the employee sustained bruises contusions and abrasions. he was transported to an emergency room provided medical treatment and released.

at approximately 3:45 p.m. on april 2 2013 an employee was working as a tile setter for jeffrey razook tile. the firm installed ceramic tile. the employee had been working for the company for approximately six months. at the time of the incident he was performing his daily duties. he was working within proximity of an onsite coworker. the employee and the coworker were working from 16-foot (4.9-meter) extension ladders caulking the edges of five balconies. the employee reached over to his left lost his balance and fell to the ground. he fell approximately 11 feet (3.4 meters). he sustained bruises contusions and abrasions. he was transported to cottage hospital where he was treated for three hours. the division was notified of the accident by the santa barbara ca fire department at 4:57 p.m. that same day. it initiated an inspection on april 12 2013. interviews were conducted of the employee his supervisor and the coworker.

at 10:30 p.m. on january 9 2013 employee #1 a crane operator employed by concrete general inc. along with coworker #1 a rigger and coworker #2 a laborer were using a mobile crane as part of a bridge repair project. the crane was a boom truck that was being operated in a closed 11-foot lane the fast lane on one of two bridges the westbound bridge. employee #1 operated the crane without the outriggers extended and with only the jacks down. this was because the single lane closure did not allow sufficient space to extend the 17-foot outriggers. the crane was being used to remove the temporary work platform located on the inside of the bridge. the needle beams were being removed from under the work platform and were being loaded onto a flatbed truck that was parked behind the crane. each beam weighed 1 796 pounds and measured 21 feet in length. employee #1 lifted four beams with the crane. he was removing the fifth beam when that beam started swinging. employee #1 lost control of the load and the crane. the crane tipped over and the boom landed on the eastbound bridge. employee #1 sustained a knee injury. he was transported to a hospital where he received treatment for a knee bruise/abrasion. he then was released. maryland osha's investigation determined that the crane collapsed between the 50-foot span of the two bridges above the creek that ran 60 feet below. at the time of the collapse the crane's hydraulic boom was extended to 58 feet and the boom angle was 65 feet. the load chart requires that the boom angle be at a maximum of 45 feet with the boom extended to 58 feet. therefore the crane was being operated outside the safe parameters required by the manufacturer's load charts. employee #1 and his two coworkers were exposed to struck-by hazards while working with the mobile crane.

on october 1 2009 four employees were abrasive blast cleaning the mckees rocks bridge in mckees rocks pa. they were performing the work from suspension scaffolds within containment number 17 which enclosed pier number 16. at approximately 2:00 p.m. a wire rope failed on the suspension scaffold being used to blast clean the fascia beam on the upriver side of the bridge. employee #1 who was abrasive blast cleaning in close proximity to the failed wire rope fell approximately 124 feet and was killed. as part of the investigation the wire rope was analyzed by the materials failure division at the salt lake technical center. analysis revealed extreme ablative damage to the wires at the failure site significant enough to cause the wire rope to fail.

on march 16 2001 employee #1 and a coworker were doing abrasive blasting from separate man lifts inside a hydro-pillar water tank. suddenly the coworker heard a sound. he yelled for employee #1 and got no response. the coworker shone his light and saw employee #1 on the floor of the tank. employee #1 fell approximately 25 ft when the weld on the anchor pad-eye that the scaffolding was connected to gave jerking the man lift. employee #1 was apparently not tied off to the safety line.

on may 9 2000 employee #1 was performing abrasive blasting operations on the roof of a water tower. employee #1 had not donned his fall protection equipment and was subsequently not tied off. when he got to the edge of the tower he slipped or stumbled and fell 150 ft to the ground. employee #1 was killed.

at approximately 9:30 a.m. on october 2 1990 employee #1 was attempting to clear an abrasive blasting machine. he first disconnected the air supply line and then took the nozzle end and the air supply line and held them together between his legs to backflush the machine. when employee #1 lost his grip the nozzle end with the pressurized abrasive lacerated his right thigh. he was hospitalized for three days for a laceration with the abrasive in it.

employee #1 was sandblasting inside a 1 620 cubic foot rail car compartment. an oil hose came loose on the davey air compressor s/n 35808. the employee was wearing an airline respirator with an abrasive blasting hood. the outside employee went to the railcar to check on employee #1 and found him unconscious. employee #1's lower dentures were found lodged in his throat at the hospital. he died 7 days later due to cerebral anoxia with brain death secondary to asphyxiation.

employees #1 and #2 were being hoisted up a 500 ft telecommunications tower to replace antenna parts damaged when the tower was struck by lightning. they were being raised by a 1/2 in. nylon rope load line using a friction winch. employee #2 was attached to the load line by a pelican clip that was attached to a seat strap d-ring by a small clevis on his tree saddle safety belt. the pelican clip had been run through a hand-tied loop in the end of the rope load line. employee #1 was attached to the same loop by the center clip of a short three-clip rope safety lanyard as were the replacement antenna parts. the remaining clips were attached to the waist d-rings on her full body harness. the rope load line had been routed up the tower through a 3 in. mckissik top block pulley that had been hand-tied to the face of the tower by two pieces of 1/2 in. climbing rope at a height of approximately 475 ft. the 1/2 in. nylon load line was then routed back down the tower and through a heel block pulley attached near the base. the free end was then wrapped around a cathead (capstan hoist) which had been bolted to the left rear wheel of a small pick-up truck with the wheel jacked up off the ground. with the pickup truck idling employee #3 manually pulled on the free end of the rope hoisting employees #1 and #2 up the tower. the two employees were at a height of approximately 385 ft when the pickup's engine apparently stalled. when a coworker tried to restart the engine friction was lost between the rope load line and the capstan hoist drum causing employees #1 and #2 to fall. they struck a guy at a height of about 210 ft and managed to ride it to the ground. employee #1 was killed. employee #2 suffered a fractured back a fractured jaw some fractured ribs and other internal injuries. employee #3 sustained severe rope burns to both hands from trying to stop the rope.

at approximately 9:15 a.m. on august 20 2012 employee #1 was working for wj lent contracting services a contractor for projects involving nonresidential buildings. it was demolishing a commercial retail building. employee #1 had worked for the company for approximately three weeks. at the time of the incident he was working near coworkers. one coworker was operating a lavina 30g pro machine. this was a propane-powered 30-inch (0.76-meter) machine for the planetary grinding polishing and burnishing of concrete. employee #1 was walking toward the coworker to warn him about smoke that was coming from the machine when its abrasive disk came off the machine flew out and struck employee #1. he sustained a laceration and a fracture of his left leg. employee #1 was transported to simi valley medical center where he was treated for four days. the division was notified of the accident by wj lent contracting services at 2:52 p.m. on august 23 2012. it initiated an inspection on september 11 2012. interviews were conducted of employee #1 his supervisor and other workers who had been onsite.

at approximately 8:30 a.m. on december 16 2011 an employee was working for c. a. rasmussen inc. rasmussen was a general engineering contractor. it constructed highways bridges and other parts of the transportation infrastructure. the injured employee had been working for company about 4 years performing the duties of a laborer. at the time of accident he was performing his daily duties. the employee was working adjacent to other employees and a supervisor was onsite. he was showing a coworker how to clean out the concrete chamfer at the bottom of a concrete wall. this job was done with a portable dewalt model number d28494 angle grinder with an 8-inch (203-millimeter) abrasive wheel. at the time of accident the angle grinder was not guarded. for some reason his right wrist was severely lacerated during this demonstration. the employee was transported to northridge hospital. he was treated for the laceration of his right wrist for two days. the division was notified of the accident at 2:15 p.m. on december 16 2011. it initiated an inspection on january 11 2012. interviews were conducted of the employee's supervisor the injured employee and injured coworkers. there was no mention on the injury line of other workers injured during this incident. the investigation found no violation of any title 8 standard in connection with this accident. as a result the division did not issue serious accident-related citation. only no-accident-related citations were issued.

on february 3 2011 an employee was using a stihl abrasive wheel cut off saw to cut metal tubing. while cutting the tubing the abrasive wheel broke into many pieces. some of the pieces struck the operator in the face and caused multiple serious cuts.

on march 8th 2010 employee #1 of lassen county road department was grinding a small metal part on a pedestal grinder. the tool rest was more than 1/8 in. from the grinding wheel. employee #1's finger was pulled into the wheel between the tool rest and abrasive wheel. employee #1 suffered a severe laceration to his left thumb.

at approximately 10:30 a.m. on july 29 2005 employee #1 was shaping a 0.25-in. thick steel bucket with a bosch 1347a portable right-angle grinder (serial number r1880022170). it had no safety guard and its screw-in handle was missing. after trying several new sait 22021 type-27 4.5-in. wheels that day he selected a wheel comparable to the rated rpm rate of the grinder. he first cut was an approximately 8-in length off the bucket and experienced some wheel binding and jerking problems. his supervisor then explained to him that he needed to cut off more steel on the same bucket and that he needed to cut at an angle to avoid disturbing other components of the grinder. after the supervisor left employee #1 began cutting at an approximately 45-degree angle. the wheel snagged the body of the grinder causing the abrasive wheel to break apart and dislocated from the spindle. flying debris ejected from the grinder and struck employee #1 in his face. employee #1 was not wearing a face shield but was wearing ansi labeled safety glasses. the impact of the flying debris upon his face caused two facial lacerations and a broken nose. he was transported to a medical center where he was hospitalized for surgical procedures and postoperative care and then released four days later. citations issued were a failure to use a grinder guard sound and check the rpm before the wheel was used to receive training for grinder safety and use eye and face protection.

at approximately 9:40 a.m. on january 21 2004 employee #1 was cutting a metal railing in the garage of a residential home under construction with a makita angle grinder model number 9524nb when the 6-inch diameter grinding disc broke. his right hand was struck by the broken disc lacerating his right wrist. he was hospitalized with his injury. further investigation revealed that the employee was not familiar with using an abrasive disc grinder as a cutting tool for metal or structural steel.

at approximately 11:55 a.m. on july 18 2000 employee #1 was using a handheld power grinder to cut the end off of a piece of unistrut. the grinder kicked back and the spinning abrasive wheel ran across the back of his hand severely lacerating it. employee #1's injuries required he undergo extensive surgery and treatment on his hand.

at approximately 7:30 a.m. on september 17 2013 employee #1 and coworker #1 employed by a plumbing contractor were working at an aerospace manufacturing plant. employee #1 a plumber's assistant was assembling a pipe section to a ball valve. he was using a pipe and bolt threading machine ridge tool company model 1822-i. this machine is operated by a foot- switch pedal. the foot-switch pedal is like the gas pedal of a car: when you step on it the machine starts rotating; when you step off it the machine stops rotating. employee #1 was using the machine to grip the pipe in a fixed position. he was using his right hand to thread the valve onto the stationary section of the pipe. employee #1 had his right hand on the pipe and under the ball valve. he unintentionally activated the machine via the foot-switch pedal. the machine started to rotate and the pipe rotated toward employee #1. his fingers were trapped between the valve handle and the valve body. employee #1 immediately either released the foot-switch pedal or kicked it away. coworker #1 who was approximately 5 feet away came and turned off the machine using the on/off-type switch on the side of the machine. however the machine had already rotated enough to break employee #1 right index finger by bending it backwards. emergency services were called and employee #1 was transported to the hospital where he underwent surgery to repair the fractured right index finger. the subsequent investigation of this event determined that the injury was caused by the machine unintentionally being activated by employee #1 via the foot pedal while his hand was on the pipe being gripped by the pipe and bolt threading machine. employee #1 was a full-time employee of the employer.

on november 14 2010 employee #1 a labor for california department of transportation was struck by a vehicle that entered through the traffic control cones. employee #1 was launched 51 feet and died at the scene.

on october 29 2001 employee #1 was preparing to remove a piece of roofing machinery from the roof of a building. he was supposed to attach the machinery to a crane but a rock apparently became stuck under the accelerator pedal and he could not stop the machine. employee #1 had no time to jump off and he was thrown 18 ft off the roof to the ground. he was transported to the hospital where at the time this report was written he was undergoing physical therapy.

at 8:30 a.m. on december 1 2008 employee #1 an elevator mechanic and employee #2 elevator mechanic's helper were using compressed air to pressure test a 14 in. diameter x 55 ft. pvc pipe located in a pit in the elevator shaft. the pvc liner was being tested to ensure it was water tight when it ruptured under low pressure. both employee #1 and #2 were standing outside the hoistway with the doors open when the pvc ruptured. both employees were sprayed with dust and water. on december 10 2008 employee #2 developed a rash on his chest and stomach area. employee #2 was admitted to hospital on december 14 2008 and died on december 18 2008. autopsy revealed that employee #2 died of a pulmonary embolism and that the manner of death was natural. employee #1 was not injured.

at 12:14 p.m. on september 16 2008 employee #1 a truck driver was standing by the side of a pump truck that was pumping concrete. wet concrete burst from a reducer elbow discharge line of the pump truck and struck employee #1 on his face blowing off his safety glasses. he sustained a chemical burn of his right eye. he was hospitalized for treatment and was discharged at 12:00 p.m. on september 19 2008.

on november 14 2007 employee #1 a carpenter/framer with a general building contractor was starting to nail sheeting on the roof of a residential building. he was removing an air hose from a hitachi nr 83a nailer when a nail accidentally discharged seriously injuring him. he was transported to valley presbyterian hospital where he was treated for four days. at the time of accident the hitachi nr83a nailer was being operated without the safety push lever (part #877-391z) in place which allowed the accidental discharge of the nail. at the time of the accident employee #1 was working near the company's on-site supervisor. the employer was cited for a violation general of t8ccr 3328(b).

on november 1 2007 employee #1 was installing insulation around pipes in the boiler room. he was standing approximately 10 ft in front of the valve cap on the hot water return when the pressure blew the cap off of the fitting. employee #1 was struck by a stream of 185 degree f water that pinned him under the boiler. he died of injuries sustained in the accident.

at approximately 1:00 p.m. on october 11 2007 employee #1 of r.d. winkle company a roofing contractor in thousand palms ca was sprayed with hot tar on his left forearm from a cleasby kettle. he sustained third-degree burns on his arm and was hospitalized for three days.

at 7:55 a.m. on september 4 2007 employee #1 an independent contractor was using a concrete cutting saw to enlarge an interior doorway opening at a work site in poway ca. he was holding the saw overhead when the gas cap or gas line failed causing gasoline to stream down over his head and chest. the gasoline ignited from sparks created by the cutting operation. employee #1 suffered second-degree burns over 60 percent of his body and was transported to the burn center at uc-san diego medical center.

on august 6 2002 employee #1 was performing restoration efforts on a bathroom. as he was sitting on a toilet seat cover applying sunrez resin and acetone to a surface employee #1 turned on an ultraviolet halogen light. the resin and acetone released volatile vapors ignited and employee #1 sustained burns to his forearms. employee #1 was transported to a medical facility where he was treated and released. he returned to work the following day.

at approximately 3:00 p.m. on may 8 2000 employee #1 a leadman for a waterproofing contractor was working at an apartment building in hollywood ca. he was using an electric chipping gun on a raised portion of the concrete floor after the walls and floor had been cleaned with acetone. a flash fire broke out and employee #1 suffered first- and second-degree burns to his face forearms and hands.

employee #1 was part of a two man crew working at a house removing linoleum tile. the room that crew was working in did not have heat so they brought a heater and a fan to warm up the area. they were using acetone on the tile when an explosion occurred. employee #1 suffered burns to his body and was hospitalized.

at about 3:00 p.m. on july 9 2013 employee #1 a foreman with razmik tarkhanian dba bridge iron was securing a 22 ft wide by 65 ft long trellis between two buildings that were under construction. employee #1 was working alone removing safety brackets with an acetylene torch (oxy-acetylene) from the column supporting the trellis. the trellis brackets were about 18 ft above the ground. employee #1 noticed that the steel tube connecting the trellis to the northwest column was not straight. employee #1 was the foreman responsible for safety and the proper installation of the trellis at the site. employee #1 decided that the welded connection at the northwest column was unacceptable and had to be repaired. employee #1 used an acetylene torch (oxy-acetylene) to cut the bottom weld on the steel tube connecting the trellis to the northwest column. when the bottom weld was cut the weight of the trellis was too great for the remaining welds to support the 15 000 pound structural steel trellis. this action allowed the northwest corner of the trellis to fall approximately two ft and trap employee #1 between the trellis and the wall. apparently the structural design of the structure was modified by an unqualified foreman when he removed structural welds. this caused the remaining welds to fail under the load and allow the structure to fall. employee #1 was transported to the hospital and he was admitted for over 24 hours for chest and facial fractures.

at approximately 7:30 a.m. on may 17 2013 employee #1 a supervisor and well driller with zim industries inc. dba bakersfield well & pump company began cutting a pipe with an oxygen-acetylene torch after he removed the cap from the well casing and marked the cut line. he was cutting the well casing to raise it for the pump pad. then a piece of slag fell in excess of 30 ft down into the well casing igniting an unknown substance. this caused flames to rise to the top of the well. employee #1 was leaning over the open well casing when flames hit him in the arms neck and chest area. employee #1 received flash burns to the face neck anterior torso and bilateral upper extremities. the well was not properly tested with a gas monitor prior to cutting the well casing. employee #1 was not wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment (a long sleeve shirt (cotton or frc)); (leathers and welding gloves). employee #1 was hospitalized.

on january 3 2011 the owner of a contracting company and employee #1 were removing the roof of a building as part of a demolition project. when they removed the main support beam of the roof the northern section of roof collapsed. one truss of the southern roof portion remained attached to the main support beam and was bent approximately 6 feet of the truss down toward the ground. the owner then decided they should stop for the day and left the immediate area to park the bobcat skid loader in another portion of the building; however employee #1 continued to work while the owner was out of the area. the owner walked back to the area where the work was being conducted and he heard an oxygen acetylene torch running. he felt the building vibrate and heard a large crash. the owner arrived in the area and found employee #1 under a pile of concrete and mortar. the debris came from a portion of the wall in the work area. employee #1 was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

on august 23 2007 employee #1 was using a welder's torch to repair a natural gas line connection when the gas ignited and exploded. he suffered burns for whihc he was hospitalized.

on august 14 2013 employee #1 was struck and killed by a falling highway board sign.

at approximately 9:28 a.m. on september 10 2010 employee #1 the owner of ralph surles company was erecting a steel double billboard. the two signs were on the ground in an upright position. each sign measured 13 ft tall 30 ft long and 1 ft 10 in. to 2 ft 2 in. deep. one sign had a catwalk on which employee #1 and his employee were working. the sign with the catwalk toppled onto the adjacent sign pinning both workers. a third worker who did not witness the accident summoned emergency responders to extricate both workers. employee #1 was killed. the other employee was airlifted to a hospital in fort worth for unspecified injuries. windy weather conditions and the weight of the two workers may have contributed to the incident.

at approximately 10:45 a.m. on september 19 2009 employee #1 was operating an eagle 44 towable boom lift (serial number 17901) at an approximate height of 32 ft to remove signs located outside of a retail store. when the lower boom's hydraulic cylinder apparently failed the boom fell to the ground. witnesses indicated that employee #1 was ejected from the basket and then restrained by his fall protection equipment. he was hospitalized at renown medical hospital for severe injuries to his face fractured ribs and a fractured vertebra.

on september 24 2007 employee #1 was removing road construction warning signs and barriers from a highway. he was moving a metal directional arrow sign to one side of the freeway when the pin holding the panel to the legs of the sign gave out. the sign fell to the ground crushing employee #1's right hand against the ground. the tip of his right middle finger was avulsed. he was transported to the hospital where he underwent surgery on his hand.

at approximately 12:30 p.m. on september 15 2006 employee #1 who worked a billboard painting company was on a catwalk situated directly above a 7 200-volt overhead power line. he was pulling on a painting spray hose so it would reach the work area when he struck the power line and was electrocuted. a coworker rushed to help him and emergency services was called. the fire department responded and transported employee #1 to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. he had been using proper fall protection equipment and had received basic safety training but nothing related to the hazards associated with overhead power lines. his employer had been in the trade for more than 10 years and should have been knowledgeable about the safety requirements for working around power lines but it had not scheduled any special provisions for this job site. the employer had apparently acknowledged the power lines once he was on the job site and positioned the truck at the opposite end but employee #1 who was in his third week with the company was directly over the line at the time of the accident.

on august 22 2006 employee #1 and a coworker were working from a catwalk to dismantle an aluminum tri-wave sign from a billboard. both employee #1 and his coworker were wearing personal fall protection harnesses and lanyards. there was a cable installed near the catwalk on which they were standing for their lanyards to attach. however employee #1 did not attach his lanyard to the cable. after removing a number of aluminum pieces from the sign employee #1 and his coworker bundled them together so that they could be lowered to the ground with a rope. as they lowered the bundle of aluminum to the ground employee #1 slipped and fell about 35 feet to a paved parking lot. he landed head first and was killed.

on november 12 2013 employee #1 with three frogs inc. was cutting down a eucalyptus tree. employee #1 was operating an aerial lift from inside the bucket and a coworker was also in the bucket of the aerial lift using a chain saw to cut branches. after initially cutting five (eight ft) sections near the top of the tree employee #1 raised the lift and attached a rope line halfway up the branch. three other coworkers were below on the ground and were holding onto the line in an effort to control the fall of the branch. employee #1 positioned the lift near the lowest crotch while the coworker using the chain saw made several cuts at the base of the approximately 30 ft branch. instead of falling away from the aerial lift bucket and toward the three employees who were pulling on the rope the branch fell towards employee #1 and the coworker who were in the aerial lift bucket. the coworker in the bucket was able to move out of the way of the falling branch which then struck employee #1 in the back of the head striking his forehead against the top rail of the aerial lift bucket. employee #1 sustained blunt force trauma head injuries. paramedics responded and declared that employee #1 was dead at the scene.

at approximately 11:20 a.m. on november 7 2013 employee #1 was operating an aerial lift and assisting a crew with the demolition of a 135 ft tall building. the crew consisted of a supervisor the owner of the company and two other employees that were working together to demo the building. the group had cut the top of four out of the five southwestern most main support beams earlier that day with no issues. they moved to the northwestern beams and began cutting the top of four out of five beams but could not get the i-beam piece out. after breaking a new 0.625 in. diameter choker they tried to extract the piece out but could not. it was then decided by the owner supervisor and employee #1 to cut the bottom of the beam to get the roof to collapse. employee #1 made the pre-cuts (cutting the beam but not cutting all the way through the beam) and then he went to the ground in the aerial lift to get a choker and shackles to attach the lower piece of the beam to the arm of the hi-lo machine that was located on the south end of the building. once elevated back to the beam that was pre-cut employee #1 attached the shackles and choker to the arm of the hi-lo machine and the cut beam. employee #1 made the final cuts to the beam. employee #1 started down in the aerial lift that was located on the north end of the building. instead of booming to the left (away from the building) and then down employee #1 came straight down the west side of the building. every other time employee #1 had boomed away from the building and then down according to the owner. as employee #1 reached approximately 80 ft above the ground the roof above the i-beam collapsed. the piece of the beam that was attached to the hi-lo arm swung out and hit employee #1 in the back of the neck area pushing him against the controls of the aerial lift. the owner of the company went to the lower controls of the aerial lift and lowered the basket to the ground. by the time the basket was on the ground the plant nurses and first responders were on site and started medical attention on employee #1. emergency medical personnel transported employee #1 to a county hospital. employee #1 had received multiple blunt force injuries to the head neck and chest and died at the hospital.

at approximately 7:15 a.m. on september 20 2013 employees #1 #2 and #3 employed by nor-son inc. were performing exterior carpentry work at a building construction site. each was working in the basket of one of three scissor lifts. the building's roof trusses collapsed struck the three scissor lifts and knocked the scissor lifts to the ground with the workers still in the baskets. emergency services were called and the three employees were transported to the hospital. all were hospitalized. employee #1 was treated for leg fractures. employee #2 was treated for a fractured chest. employee #3 was treated for lacerations to the face.

at approximately 9:09 a.m. on august 19 2013 employee #1 and coworker #1 painters employed by lake painting inc. were painting the exterior of a commercial building. they previously had installed plastic sheeting on the concrete sidewalks and asphalt parking lot to protect these surfaces from paint splatter. they were painting the building's eaves while working from a lift a scissor-style self-propelled aerial work platform at an elevation of 15 feet. they needed to relocate the lift. while doing so they drove over an open storm drain grate the location of which was obstructed by the plastic. the rear tire of the lift fell into the opening which caused the lift to tip over. employee #1 jumped from the lift as it was falling. he struck the ground on the asphalt. employee #1 was transported to the hospital where he was admitted and treated for serious head injuries a fractured arm and a fractured leg. he died two days later from his injuries.

at approximately 8:15 a.m. on july 18 2013 employee #1 an electrician employed by an electrical and other wiring installation company was working as a subcontractor installing electrical wires in the stage area of a building site. he was operating a scissor lift a skyjack sj111-3219 equipment no. 103319. he moved the lift to the area where he intended to run electrical wires. after positioning the lift he raised the lift's platform to reach the conduit on the ceiling. employee #1 pushed the electrical wires from the left conduit to the right. after pushing the wires into the conduit he needed to move the lift forward and to his right to pull the electrical wires from the other conduit. he was looking down from the top guardrail of the lift as he reached for the lift's controller behind him with his right hand to move the lift forward. employee #1 pushed the controller forward to drive the lift to the right. however the lift's platform rose up. employee #1 realized the toggle switch was on "lift" mode instead of a "drive" mode. he immediately released the controller and tried to move the platform down but it continued to move up. employee #1's face was caught between the lift's top guardrail and an overhead pipe. eventually employee #1 was able to bring the platform down. emergency services were called and the san mateo fire department responded. employee #1 was transported to the hospital where he was admitted and treated for multiple facial fractures. he was hospitalized for approximately three days. this event was reported to cal/osha by the san mateo fire department and the employer at approximately 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. respectively on july 18 2013. cal/osha initiated its investigation at the work site at approximately 10:15 a.m. on july 30 2013. participating in the inspection were employee #1's foreman/supervisor the project superintendent of the general contractor and the field operations manager of the general contractor. the investigation revealed that employee #1's employer had leased the scissor lift from sunstate equipment since october 16 2012. the employer returned the scissor lift to sunstate equipment on july 19 2013 the day after employee #1 was injured. while the equipment was in the employer's possession the lift's relay switch was replaced to correct a steering problem and the platform control box was replaced due to the lift's inability to go up. cal/osha did not issue an accident-related citation because the investigation determined that the cause was not a violation of title 8 california code of regulations (t8 ccr). however cal/osha issued one general citation for the employer's failure to train and instruct its employee in the proper use of skyjack iii 3219 scissor lift in accordance with the manufacturer's operating instructions and section 3203 injury and illness prevention program a violation of t8 ccr section 3638(d).

on july 15 2013 employee #1 a work crew supervisor employed by a medical clinic was engaged in exterior carpentry. he was working from a personnel platform attached to the forks of a terex ss-636 turbo square shooter telehandler. the machine rolled backward down a hill and struck a tree. employee #1 and the personnel platform were ejected from the lift. employee #1 was killed.

on june 17 2013 an employee was working as a fulltime noncontract carpenter for a framing contractor. he was in a scissor lift cutting a piece of plywood with a radial saw such as a skilsaw-type saw when the saw blade bound up and kicked back. the employee sustained a laceration to his left hand that necessitated hospitalization. the division was notified by the employer that same day.

on june 14 2013 employee #1 had been working from a rented aerial device on a cell tower. employee #1 completed the project and was driving the lift down a gravel road to a predetermined site for pick-up. employee #1 was properly tied in the basket a few feet off the ground. for unknown reasons the lift left the roadway causing employee #1 to bounce around inside the basket. employee #1 sustained serious lacerations to his left lower leg. employee #1 was transported to a nearby hospital where he remained for several days receiving treatment for a large avulsion of all tissue over the left tibia and a severe laceration to the right knee.

at approximately 9:30 a.m. on may 29 2013 an incident occurred when employee #1 a construction worker sustained a severe head injury when he fell approximately seven feet from the platform of a scissor lift. employee #1 was taken to a local area hospital for lacerations and multiple fractures following his stay there he was sent to a local rehabilitation center for more treatment.

on may 21 2013 employee #1 of rafael construction inc. climbed out of a man basket onto a first story roof area and walked a short distance to the metal roof awning area on the building. employee #1 stepped on a perforated metal sheet of the metal roof awning that gave way under his weight and fell approximately 13 feet to the grade of earth and gravel below. employee #1 sustained serious injuries that required more than 24 hours of hospitalization.

on may 7 2013 employee #1 employed by a drywall contractor was working at a commercial warehouse building. he was working as a drywall taper spotting screws in the drywall in the main area of the warehouse from his position on a scissor lift (aerial lift). employee #1 fell to the concrete floor of that working level. coworker #1 employed by an electrical subcontractor also working at the facility found employee #1 lying prone unconscious and bleeding from a laceration on his forehead. emergency services were called and the fullerton fire department responded. employee #1 was transported to university of california irvine medical center (uci) where he was admitted for observation and treatment of a head injury. the fullerton fire department reported this event to cal/osha on may 7 2013. cal/osha's subsequent investigation determined that there were no witnesses to employee #1's fall. in addition employee #1 did not respond to attempts to be interviewed. the investigation did establish that work at the site began at 6:00 a.m. on may 7 2013 and that the workers all took their lunch break at 10:30 a.m. after the lunch break employee #1 continued with his assigned work and was alone on one side of the facility for approximately 20 minutes before he was found on the floor at approximately 12:24 p.m. by coworker #1 the subcontractor. when found employee #1 was lying on the floor approximately 6 feet away from the scissor lift which was in the down and stowed position. employee #1 had worked as a drywall finisher for more than 11 years and had been a member of the drywall finishers regional local union 1136 since 2001. he was certified as an aerial lift power user and had received other specialized training related to his work from the union as well as site specific safety training from the employer.

on april 10 2013 two employees (employee #1 employee #2) with masonry medic llc were in a boom truck doing repair work on a chimney when the basket came in contact with a 7200 volt power line. employee #1 was killed. no additional information was provided about employee #2.

at approximately 9:00 a.m. on march 30 2013 employee #1 a carpenter was elevated on a scissor lift. the employee fell approximately 11ft to the ground. employee #1 was flown to stanford hospital where he was treated for multiple fractures. employee #1 was hospitalized for twenty-four hours.

on march 12 2013 employee #1 and coworker #1 electricians employed by an electrical company were working at an aerospace facility. they were in an aerial lift a genie boom z 40/23n model year 2011 serial number z40n11-1428. the lift was elevating them to install electrical conduit at the facility. the lift was situated approximately 1 foot from the edge of a pit that was next to the facility. the pit measured approximately 5 feet to 8 feet deep. the lift moved forward and fell into the pit. employee #1 was injured. he was transported to the hospital admitted and treated for a fractured ankle. the investigation determined that other employees were working inside the facility. the investigation was unable to determine the circumstances surrounding the lift's moving and falling into the pit.

on december 1 2010 employee #1 painted a four story condominium complex. the first floor of the complex was an open area designed for resident parking. employee #1 operated a jlg model 600s serial number 0954270300042766 aerial lift. he worked from an elevated work platform. employee #1 had his back to the building. he attempted to position the aerial lift to begin painting the window trim and either moved the aerial lift or boomed the mast out. as a result employee #1 became pinned between the building and the control station inside the elevated working platform. employee #1 suffered severe injuries including contusions and abrasions. other employees at the work site found employee #1 pinned between the edge of the garage and the controls of the aerial lift. employee #1 was taken by helicopter to a local hospital. on december 14 2010 employee #1 died in the hospital from the injuries he sustained in this accident.

at approximately 3:30 p.m. on november 10 2010 employee #1 was working alone from an aerial lift make jlg model 450aj series ii at a height of approximately 15 feet above the ground. his assignment was to paint the exterior awning of a commercial building. witness #1 exited the building and noticed employee #1 in the aerial lift but employee #1 was not moving and appeared to be slumped over the aerial lift controls and caught between the aerial lift rails and the steel awning structure of the building. witness #1 went back into the building to summon help for employee #1. witness #2 was inside the building and heard that employee #1 was outside the building in the aerial lift and that he needed help. witness #2 proceeded outside to investigate and attempted to communicate with employee #1 in the aerial lift. witness #2 climbed the boom of the aerial lift and attempted to move the basket of the aerial lift by manually pushing and pulling the basket of the aerial lift so it would dislodge employee #1 from between the building and the aerial lift basket rails. witness #2 stated employee #1 was pinned by the neck between the aerial lift basket rail located above the control panel and the steel poles that formed the awning structure on the exterior of the building. witness #2 was able to free employee #1 from between the building structure and the basket rail of the aerial lift. employee #1 was wearing a fall protection body harness and a portion of the harness was wrapped around the move/steer joystick lever of the aerial lift and the lever was stuck in the down position. witness #2 dislodged the fall protection harness from the joystick lever and was able to dislodge employee #1 from between the structure of the building and the aerial lift basket rail so cpr could be administered. witness #2 stated he attempted to move the different control levers on the aerial lift but the lift was not running and the movement of the control levers did not activate the aerial lift. witness #3 a construction worker from across the street came over to the job site after hearing that employee #1 was pinned by the aerial lift. witness #3 went to the aerial lift and started the unit from the ground position. witness #3 was able to lower the aerial lift basket to the ground where employee #1 was then removed from the basket of the aerial lift and attended to by rescue personnel. employee #1 was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead. the autopsy report stated the cause of death was asphyxiation by mechanical compression of the neck and chest. the cause of the accident was determined to be operator error.

at approximately 11:00 a.m. on november 5 2009 employee #1 was removing wall-mounted triangular brackets and mounting clips from an interior wall. while repositioning the aerial lift employee #1 was facing the controls and his back was to the wall-mounted brackets. the basket of the aerial lift became caught on a bracket and when the basket released from the bracket the sudden upward movement ejected employee #1 from the lift. employee #1 fell to the ground and was killed. he was wearing a full body harness with lanyard but was not tied off to the aerial lift platform.

on january 15 2008 employee #1 was using a jlg aerial lift to patch holes on a building's northeast outer wall. as he maneuvered the lift up and down to fix the wall he became pinned between the lift's control station and the ceiling wall. he was discovered by coworkers and a forklift was used to extricated him by pushing the aerial lift away from the wall. employee #1 sustained crushing injuries and was administered cpr by a coworker until emergency services arrived. he was transported to lee memorial hospital in fort myers fl where he died at 1:15 p.m. on january 20 2008.

on august 7 2007 employee #1 was using an articulating lift to install metal braces on the roof of a newly constructed parking structure when he apparently lost control of the lift. he became caught between the lift's control panel and a concrete girder. employee #1 was crushed and killed.

on july 18 2007 employees #1 and #2 were assigned to weld the facade of a mezzanine. one of the workers raised the articulating boom basket too far and both employees' heads necks and shoulders became caught between the control pedestal of the lift and the face of the mezzanine. employees #1 and #2 sustained injuries for which they were treated and released the same day.

at 1:25 p.m. on july 7 2007 employees #1 and #2 were working at a large commercial construction site in san bernandino ca. employee #1 was in a 60 ft jlg aerial lift model #660sj serial #03-00060394 welding ledger angles on the south wall at the northwest corner of a room in building #1. the ledger angles were 21 ft 6 in. above the earthen ground. after welding a ledger angle on the north side of an i-beam employee #1 was moving the boom's basket underneath the i-beam toward the beam's south side when he inadvertently pinned himself between the beam's bottom flange and top rail of the basket. employee #1 sustained crushing injuries to his neck and chest. employee #2 also an ironworker climbed up the 30 ft long extended boom of the aerial lift to rescue employee #1. he tried using the lift controls to lower the basket when it suddenly surged and shook pinning employee #2's left arm and left ribs between the south side of the i-beam and the control panel of the basket. both men were transported to loma linda university medical center for treatment. employee #1 died at approximately 2:10 p.m. that samew day. employee #2 underwent surgery for a severely fractured left arm.

on december 21 2006 employee #1 was operating the controls of a mobile aerial lift to move the lift forward. due to the position of the control panel his back was facing the direction in which he was traveling. he was pinned between a purlin and the control panel/ aerial lift's guardrail and was crushed and asphyxiated.

at approximately 11:30 a.m. on april 27 2007 employee #1 was working from an aerial lift jlg model number 400s serial number 30079117 approximately 21 feet above ground welding steel bracing under the ceiling of a commercial building under construction. a coworker noticed that employee #1 seemed to be not moving and blue in the face. employee #1 was lowered to the ground and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation started but was unsuccessful. employee #1 was pronounced dead at the scene apparently due to being caught between the aerial lift and a brace. the aerial lift was later tested and problems were identified with the control stick which controlled upward movement of the boom. the control stick would not self-center or stop movement of the boom when released slowly as required by the manufacturer. examination of the control stick found that hardened and compacted granular material built up on the centering ring and spring prevented the control stick from centering. there was also an absence of grease or lubricant on the centering ring and spring. once the granular material was removed the control stick functioned properly and self centered.

employee #1 was working from an aerial lift which was in the 'up' position under an i-beam. employee #1 was cutting out the beam pocket when he accidentally came into contact with the 'drive/steer' lever which made the manlift move. employee #1 was killed when he was pinned between the i-beam and manlift control panel. as per the manufacturers operating manual for the manlift sm2129e-14017 the drive/steer lever should not have been able to move until the lower half of the knob was pulled up to release it from the detent. as per the written statements this safety device on the drive/steer lever was not operational.

at approximately 11:35 a.m. on august 1 2013 employee #1 a 41-year old male unlicensed contractor with delmar van dam dba high desert dairy was constructing a 90 ft long by 60 ft wide by 25 ft high steel frame hay barn at a residential worksite owned by high desert dairy in lancaster california. an ingersol rand hydraulic lift (model vr-1056 serial number 167290 113ch6 35-218500a) was approximately 60 ft in length and was used to position 60-foot 1 000 pound metal trusses on to the vertical uprights of the barn structure. a 0.375 in. rope was connected to vertical uprights with a white rope attached to the north beam on the ground positioned at top and connected to a fence at north side as well as a yellow rope that connected to the beam. the steel trusses would eventually hold up the roof of the barn. while employee #1 was at ground level retrieving a tool from the box of hydraulic lift a beam positioned approximately 25 ft above employee #1 fell and struck him in the head. the employee #1 died on the scene and was transferred by county of los angeles department of coroner. employee #1 sustained traumatic head injuries. the causal factor of the accident was the metal truss beam was released from the hoisting apparatus without being effectively secured or supported in position as to prevent it from being dislodged from position. factors that may cause truss being dislodged may include but not limited to environmental conditions such as the wind. delmar vandam dba high desert dairy was a dairy farm that conducts general farming activities dairy manufacturing baling hay and barn construction.

on may 13 2013 a laborer employed by a construction company was performing his regular duties which on this day involved constructing a barn for commercial agricultural purposes. the worker was on the barn's roof approximately 16 feet above the ground and was placing top caps along the structure's ridgeline. he stepped through a skylight and fell to the ground. emergency services were called and the tulare county sheriff's department responded at the site. the worker was transported to community regional medical center in fresno ca where he was hospitalized and treated for a fractured neck. the employer reported to cal/osha's fresno district office on may 13 2013. cal/osha investigated. its report included reference to insufficient/lack of engineering controls.

on june 6 2013 employee #1 with ugstad plumbing inc. rolled the company van onto two ramps and attempted to fix a squeaky universal joint. after the joint was disconnected the van rolled down the ramps and crushed employee #1. employee #1 was killed. there were no witnesses to the accident. he was discovered by the fergus falls police department.

on june 6 2013 employee #1 with jake marshall service inc. was lifting a 200 pound compressor to the roof of a building where he was going to replace the old compressor with the new one. employee #1 had placed a pulley with a rope tied to the structural i-beam of the air conditioner units on the roof. employee #1 then had a coworker tie a rope around the compressor on the ground and ran the rope through the pulley. the coworker pulled the rope and lifted the compressor up the side of the building. the compressor got hung on the gutter of the building and employee #1 leaned out over the edge to maneuver the compressor off the gutter. at this point the rope holding the pulley on the i-beam broke and the compressor and pulley fell pulling employee #1 over the edge of the roof. employee #1 fell 22 feet to the asphalt parking lot below. employee #1 was hospitalized but he died on june 13 2013.

at about 12:30 p.m. on april 20 2013 employee #1 with suffolk-roel san diego was installing four pieces of angle iron to the ceiling of the second floor to provide support to the decking where an opening was to be cut for an hvac duct. employee #1 was using a 12 ft a-frame ladder to reach his work. employee#1 fell from the ladder between a metal scaffold and the ladder. he fell approximately nine feet. during the fall employee#1 struck the spreader bar on the ladder and the steel stud track on the concrete stem wall. employee #1 sustained lacerations to his right thumb hand and the back side of his head and neck. employee #1 was transported to the hospital where he was hospitalized.

on april 10 2013 employee #1 with ideal service company inc. was standing on a 15 ft fixed roof access ladder while pushing a 22 in. by 20 in. by 16 in. cardboard box containing hvac filters through the roof hatch opening at a client's warehouse facility. employee #1 lost his balance and fell approximately 27 feet to the concrete floor below. the ladder originated at a 12 ft high wooden landing platform with stairs descending to the warehouse floor. employee #1 hit the platform top rail then fell the full 27 feet distance to the floor. employee #1 was hospitalized multiple fractures.

at approximately 8:30 a.m. on october 26 2012 employee #1 of bay air systems inc. was working at a multiemployer construction site a 24 hour fitness building. he and three coworkers were on the roof and laying out huge hvac machinery. the machinery was being lifted by helicopter from the ground to the roof. according to employee #1 he was standing on the corner end of the building and looking up at the helicopter waiting for the machinery to be lowered. he moved sideways. he later reported that as he moved he felt he was stepping onto the steel cover of a 24-inch square opening in the roof. he fell through the opening to concrete below. he was transported to eden medical center in castro valley where he was admitted and treated for five days for serious injuries. his injuries included but were not limited to fractured ribs fractured collar bone and fractured spine.

at about 10:20 a.m. on august 14 2012 employee #1 with johnson controls inc. was conducting an inspection on a marine laboratory air handler system located at the basement of the building. employee #1 turned off the power of the fan and removed the top panel cover. during the inspection he moved around and his hand hit the rotating drive belt of the exhaust fan which resulted in a right thumb injury. employee #1 was transported to the hospital. employee #1 suffered from an amputated fingertip.

at approximately 6:00 p.m. on april 3 2012 employee #1 was working for a plumbing heating and air conditioning contractor. the incident occurred at a retail store distribution warehouse. employee #1 was a full-time permanent employee of the employer. he was not an employee of the retail distribution center. employee #1 was conducting the startup procedures for a roof-mounted condenser unit. he was on the west side of the condenser unit. the condenser unit was 89 inches (2.26 meters) east of a skylight that was covered with acrylic plastic such as plexiglas. according to a witness employee #1 was facing east and talking on his cell phone. he stood up and took a step or two backwards. he then appeared to stumble or trip on his foot and fall backwards onto the skylight breaking the acrylic plastic or plexiglas cover. he fell approximately 39 feet (11.9 meters) to the concrete floor below. employee #1 received blunt force trauma injuries to multiple parts of his body and he was killed. the causal factors were that employee #1 was not wearing a fall protection device that was appropriately secured and that the skylight was not guarded or protected.

two employees were repairing the compressor on a trane air conditioning unit installed on the roof of a building. the unit had two compressors and was capable of running at 50 percent of full power. the employees had not deenergized the air conditioning unit at the panelboard but the unit's switch was open while they dismantled the broken compressor. one of the workers removed the coil wire for the old compressor and the employees closed the unit's switch. the workers set the new compressor in place but did not connect the wiring to the compressor before they took a break. after the break one of the workers began to connect the new compressor by removing electrical tape from the wiring. he contacted an energized 277-volt conductor and was electrocuted.

on june 13 2011 employee #1 was working inside a large air handling unit and was electrocuted when he made contact with the energized duct heater coils. no additional details were provided in the original narrative.

at about 2:30 p.m. on march 14 2011 employee #1 a plumber's assistant with kangarooter inc. was operating an auger truck when the hydraulic ram controlling the bucket movement failed. the auger bucket unexpectedly swung towards the employee and struck him as he stood at the operator's station. the employee sustained a femur fracture and was hospitalized for four days.

on november 15 2011 employee #1 of e-light electrical services in hobbs new mexico was exposed to coccidioides imitis a fungus. this fungus produces spores that can be inhaled when they are airborne. the employee was diagnosed with valley fever which resulted in his death.

on january 5 2011 employee #1 was working on a 36" water line inside a manhole. a valve was opened and released an unknown airborne substance. employee #1 asphyxiated on the substance and two other employees were hospitalized.

on september 29 2009 employees #1 and #2 who were employed by a restoration services company were working in an apartment unit on the second floor of an inhabited four-story multi-unit residential building. the workers had been at the site on two previous occasions to expose framing members by removing drywall and then to enclosed the subject area with plastic sheeting. because test results from an independent testing lab showed that mold was still present employees #1 and #2 returned to the apartment unit a third time to encapsulate the mold. employees #1 and #2 were spraying kilz(r) original aerosol to encapsulate visible mold that was on the framing members of an interior partition wall of the apartment unit while inside the plastic-enclosed containment area. the homeowner was in the kitchen area of the apartment. employees #1 and #2 exhausted four and one-half 13-ounce-sized cans of the flammable aerosol within the containment area which measured 41 inches deep by 8 feet long by 8 feet 10 inches high. they then plugged into an electrical outlet an omniaire 1000v hepa air filtration machine which was also inside the containment area. an explosion and fire occurred when an ignition source was introduced inside the containment area where flammable vapors were concentrated. employees #1 and #2 sustained serious burns (second and third degree) to their upper bodies and faces. they required inpatient hospitalization for more than 24 hours. according to the manufacturer omniaire 1000v was an air filtering machine designed for filtering particulates and providing negative air pressure for asbestos abatement. the machine was listed as meeting requirements for ul (underwriters laboratories) standard ul507 for safety for electric fans. the listing did not include use in hazardous atmospheres where flammable vapors were present. the machine had a variable speed controller and emerson open-frame type fan motor. the investigation found that the employer's iipp (injury and illness prevention program) lacked several required elements and that the workers were not trained on the physical or health hazards of the kilz(r) original aerosol. further the improper use of listed equipment in a hazardous atmosphere caused the explosion and fire. the employer was issued citations accordingly.

on october 4 2005 employee #1 was working as a carpenter specializing in building docks. he was installing fender panels on a bridge pier. as he pulled a 1 inch diameter air hose into position to power some pneumatic tools he fell from the pier into water approximately fifteen feet deep and drowned. possibly he struck his head on a protruding portion of the fender system prior to striking the water.

employee #1 plugged his supplied-air respirator into a nitrogen source. he was hospitalized for treatment of asphyxia.

at 8:00 a.m. on december 14 2010 employee #1 a welder set up welding equipment on a construction worksite located on a public residential road in montebello california. employee #1 set up the welding equipment inside a 30 in. concrete line steel pipe located 12 ft below grade. an overnight accumulation of methane was probably present in the soils of montebello due to abandoned oil and gas wells in the area. preentry purging of the air and air monitoring within the confined space was not conducted. the shield metal arc welding equipment sparked. the spark ignited flammable gases and caused a flash fire in the pipe. employee #1 received second and third degree burns from the fire. employee #1 was hospitalized for more than 24 hours and treated for his burns. that same day cal/osha received a report of the accident.

on august 11 2010 employee #1 a newly hired day laborer and employee #2 another day laborer of rocky plumbing were working in the excavation located at the intersection of clifford road and steel road in alvin texas. employee #1 went for some water. when he returned he found employee #2 slumped over in the excavation. employee # 1 along with the job foreman pulled employee #2 out of the excavation and emergency services were called. employee #2 was transported to clear lake regional medical center where he later died. during interviews with employee #1 stated that there was no atmospheric testing or continuous monitoring while they were inside the excavation. the employer admitted that he did not conduct any testing of the area. he usually had an independent contractor conduct the testing for him but apparently that had not been done at this site. the employees had not received any training in excavation work or hazardous atmospheres. the employer does not have any safety programs in place for his company. csho went to the site and collected air samples from the man hole that was put in by the employer and found that it did contain some h2s and an elevated lel. the medical examiner's office ruled that employee #1 died from atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease. the harris county medical examiner's office did not test for h2s.

at approximately 7:00 p.m. on june 12 2007 employees #1 and #2 construction carpenters became ill with symptoms of nausea metallic taste and bluing of the lips. the two employees were building a wooden box to be used as a form to pour concrete around at a coal fired power generation plant where contractors were in the beginning stages of building a nitrous oxide scrubber system. the incident occurred in an open area and no hazardous chemicals were in use. air sampling was conducted immediately after the incident by the company and continued until the compliance inspection started. the day after the first incident occurred a second employee suffered from similar symptoms even though he was not doing the same activity. the company did continuous air sampling for several days and did not obtain any high readings. additional sampling was also conducted on employee drinking water and soil samples with no significant findings. employees #1 and #2 were not hospitalized for treatment.

on august 13 2008 employee #1 was preparing to put a concrete plug in an underground concrete air return. the air return was 18-in. wide and 36-in. deep before it made a 90-degree turn and then traveled several feet under length of house. the employee was working alone and he entered the air return head first and got stuck. employee #1 was unable to breath and died before being found by his boss several hours later.

at approximately 12:40 p.m. on august 9 2008 employee #1 was planting a tree near an opening. the tree needed to be planted at a small area near a wall and next to an opening. employee #1 tried to gain access and went under caution tape and stepped onto a board used to cover an opening 22-ft by 3-ft 5-in. and 15-ft 4-in. deep. the opening was an intake air shaft for the generator. the board did not support his weight and he fell to the bottom of the shaft. employee #1 sustained contusions to his right hip left elbow and right palm. employee #1 was hospitalized for approximately eight hours.

at approximately 11:45 a.m. on april 18 2002 employee #1 was removing a cover called a form from an air shaft. he fell 90 ft to the bottom of the shaft and was killed. the form was constructed of two 4-by-4s and a 3-by-4 sheet of 0.75-in. plywood. the form was secured in place with four ellis jacks.

employee #1 and five coworkers were engaged in roofing work on an 18-story building. employee #1 was replacing coping stones on top of a roof parapet adjacent to which was an hvac shaft with a skylight. the surface of the skylight was tarred over making it look like it was made of something other than glass. employee #1 was standing on the skylight to access the parapet area when it broke. he fell 19 stories down the hvac shaft from the roof to the basement and was killed.

employee #1 an elevator mechanic was found dead at the bottom of a 15-dtory tall hvac duct. there was no elevator in the ducts and the reason he was in the ductwork was not clear. to access the spot where employee #1 fell he would have had to crawl 20 ft in one direction make a 90 degree turn and then crawl about another 60 ft in complete darkness.

while working within the mezzanine plenum of an air-supported structure employee #1 fell 48 ft through a hatchway door opening landing at the bottom of a shaft. he was killed.

at approximately 10:40 a.m. on january 21 1993 employee #1 was working on the third floor of a building under construction. a tool dropped from his pocket and fell down an air ventilation shaft. to retrieve the tool he descended to the lowest level which was two levels below ground surface. the shaft was open only at the third floor and in the ceiling of the lowest level. there the ceiling was 97 inches above the floor. the shaft was about 48 inches wide and 133 1/2 inches long in rectangular section. although cal/osha safety orders required two means of access to the third floor only one such means of access was provided and it was in an unsafe location at a distance from the shaft. employee #1 attempting to take a short cut back to his work post stacked a number of buckets mounted the stack and proceeded up the shaft by pushing his hands against the shaft walls stopping to rest on an occasional projection. he got within about 5 feet of the top of the shaft before falling all the way to the concrete floor about 45 feet and sustaining fractures in both legs. paramedics transported him to a hospital.

employee #1 a journeyman electrician at a construction site had been employed since august 13 1991. he left the ground floor work location to determine the reason for a power failure on the sixth floor. he fell 34 ft through an open 6 ft by 9 ft air duct shaft before reaching the sixth floor. employee #1 died. circumstances causing the fall remain unknown. because work was not in progress workers were not on the mezzanine-level entry to witness the employee's fall through the air duct shaft.

an employee was working on a boom at a hospital over a 200-ft by 6-ft by 38-ft-deep air draft system. the boom started to break and the employee attempted to escape from the boom but fell into the air draft system striking the level below. he suffered bruises and contusions and was killed.