Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1512387.015 - Jost Chemical Company, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Saint Louis Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 9:30 p.m. on Monday, January 25, 2021, an employee was working for a firm that manufactured basic inorganic chemicals. He maintained machinery. He was performing maintenance on a motor on Line 6C in Building 8130. The motor was positioned in such a way that the walkway grating made maintenance difficult. In this incident, as the employee later stated to the CSHO, the grating was already removed when he started work. He was not wearing fall protection. The next thing he remembered was waking up on a stretcher. He had fallen 8 feet, or 106 in. (2.44 m) through a hole. He had lost consciousness and suffered a contusion to the back of his head. He was hospitalized. The employee told the CSHO that he had been informed that the motor on Line 6C needed to be replaced. During later interviews, one employee who repaired equipment told the CSHO that the grating interfered with the repairs because the motor parts ran through the grating. This employee had removed the grating in the past. This employee claimed that he removed the grating about six months prior to the incident in this report. The maintenance manager stated to the CSHO that maintenance was required and done about once a month, as needed. He explained that it was up to the employee's discretion to wear fall protection and that it was typical to wear it during that operation. The CSHO measured the distance from the top of the grating to the lower level with a tape measure. The employer had not ensured that employees were protected from fall hazards during maintenance repairs on a motor at Line 6C of Building 8130.

Keywords: Chest, Contusion, Fall, Fall From Elevation, Fall Protection, Floor Hole, Grating, Head, Loss of consciousness, Lost consciousness, Maintenance, Motor, Walking Surface, Work at Elevation