Benavides Construction Services: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Feb 15, 2019: One employee fractures leg and other incurs minor head injur

At 3:25 p.m. on February 15, 2019, Employee #1, an apprentice, and Employee #2, a foreman/supervisor, both employed by a home builder, were working on a residential garage remodeling project. They were cutting the existing rafter ties, reshaping them, and repositioning them to create a higher ceiling. Employee #1 was working from a scaffold, holding the rafter ties while they were cut by Employee #2, and then holding the reshaped rafter ties in their new positions while Employee #2 nailed them into place. The rafter ties were not bolted or otherwise sufficiently secured; they were nailed in with four to six 16-penny nails to hold them in place. Approximately 15 rafter ties were cut and repositioned in succession from the front of the garage to the back. The roof collapsed, cascading from front to back, as the employees were working on the 15th rafter tie. There were no effective bracing measures utilized to prevent the load of the roof from collapsing. When the roof collapsed, Employee #1 was pinned between the scaffold and the roof. Employee #2, who was working from the fourth rung of an A-frame ladder, was struck by a falling piece of wood and knocked off the ladder. The employees were transported to the hospital, where Employee #1 was admitted for treatment of fractures to his left leg tibia and fibula bones. Employee #2 was treated for a minor head injury and contusion and was released.