104,543Records 70,659Employers 84,666Hospitalizations 27,563Amputations 2015-01-01 2025-09-30
Safety Incidents OSHA Severe Injury Reports · 2015–2025

OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14257406

DUCT,COLLAPSE,WORK RULES,OVERLOADED,CONSTRUCTION,FALL,FALL PROTECTION,WORK PLATFORM

Event
DUCT,COLLAPSE,WORK RULES,OVERLOADED,CONSTRUCTION,FALL,FALL PROTECTION,WORK PLATFORM
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
14257406
Report ID
453710

Event description

Employee killed in fall after air duct collapses

Investigation abstract

At about 2:30 p.m. on February 24, 1984, Employee #1 was installing an angle iro so fell, reportedly landing on his head and side. He was taken to Moses Cone Hos pital in Greensboro, NC; the hospital reported his death to job site officials a t about 5:00 p.m. the same day. Employee #1 was not wearing personal fall protec tion equipment. n frame for a rooftop exhaust support. The built-up roof was already in place, a nd he was working from inside the building, using a sheet metal air duct as a wo rk platform. Employee #1 was standing on a 50-in.-long section of duct (the end piece of a horizontal run), which cantilevered approximately 47.5 in. from a sup port hanger. The only support for the cantilever duct section was a "pocket lock " joint that connected the duct sections to the hanger, which was located about 2.5 in. in front of the joint. The added weight from Employee #1 caused the pock et lock joint to separate, and the duct fell to a concrete floor. Employee #1 al

Victim

  1. #1 Fatality Age 34 M

    Nature of injury
    6
    Part of body
    13
    Event type
    5
    Source
    42
    Occupation code
    597
    Human factor
    18
    Environmental factor
    13
    Task assigned
    1

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