Construction Accidents

Caulking Mechanic Suspension Scaffold Case No. 3--One Death

On March 15, 1989, a 33-year-old male caulking mechanic died when the scaffold on which he was working failed and caused him to fall 60 feet to the ground. The victim and a coworker were caulking the exterior skin plate joints and windows of a new seven-story building. Most of the work on the lower levels of the building had previously been completed using a personnel hoist. The upper floors of the building could not be reached with this device, so the crew brought a suspension scaffold to the site on the day of the incident.

Upon arrival, the crew found that workers from a window-washing firm had already rigged a two-point suspension scaffold on the building. An arrangement was made for one crew (containing one worker from each company) to work from the caulker's manlift while a second crew worked from the window washer's two-point suspension scaffold. The victim and one worker from the window- washing firm then ascended the building using the two-point suspension scaffold and began work at the sixth floor. Although the victim and his coworker had brought safety belts and lifelines to the site, this equipment had been left in the company truck, and none of the four workers were using any type of fall protection equipment.

When work was completed at the sixth floor, the men began their descent. Suddenly, the victim's end of the scaffold dropped to a vertical position. The victim fell from the scaffold to the ground 60 feet below. The second man on the scaffold (the window washer) managed to cling to the scaffold and a nearby window ledge until he could be rescued.

Inspection of the scaffold hoist revealed a defect in a centrifugal safety brake. This defect and the victim's possible failure to release the parking brake before beginning his descent caused one end of the scaffold to drop [NIOSH 1989a].