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 #14447882

ATTACHMENT HOOK,BOSUN CHAIR,WATER TOWER,LIFELINE,SAFETY BELT,SPRAY PAINTING,FALL,PAINTER,TOWER

Event
ATTACHMENT HOOK,BOSUN CHAIR,WATER TOWER,LIFELINE,SAFETY BELT,SPRAY PAINTING,FALL,PAINTER,TOWER
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
14447882
Report ID
552700

Event description

FALL FROM WATER TOWER

Investigation abstract

EMPLOYEE #1 WAS SPRAY PAINTING A WATER TOWER FROM A BOATSWAINS CHAIR AT APPROXIM ATELY 116 FT ABOVE THE GROUND. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS NOT WEARING A LIFE LINE AND BELT NOR WAS THE ATTACHMENT HOOK SECURELY FASTENED TO THE STRUCTURE. THE ATTACHMENT H OOK HAD BEEN PLACED ON THE TOP RIDGE OF THE CLIMBING CAGE (WHICH IS NOT A COMPLE TE CIRCLE). THE HOOK WORKED IT'S WAY OVER THE EDGE AS THE EMPLOYEE WAS PAINTING AND CAME OFF, RESULTING IN THE EMPLOYEE FALLING TO HIS DEATH. IN THE POLICE REPO RT THE EMPLOYER STATED THAT THEY HAD SAFETY ROPES IN THE TRUCK, BUT IT WAS LEFT UP TO THE EMPLOYEES TO DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT TO USE THEM. ROPES WERE NOT BEING U SED AT THE TIME OF THIS ACCIDENT.

Victim

  1. #1 Fatality Age 24 M

    Nature of injury
    12
    Part of body
    13
    Event type
    5
    Source
    24
    Occupation code
    579
    Human factor
    20
    Environmental factor
    18
    Task assigned
    1

Codes shown verbatim from OSHA's accident-investigation database. A human-readable decoder is coming in a future release once the accident_lookup2 dictionary is loaded.