Farwest Insulation Contracting: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Mar 8, 2013: Worker falls from scaffold ladder, sustains injuries

At approximately 1:45 p.m. on March 8, 2013, Employee #1, an apprentice employed by Farwest Insulation Contracting, was part of a crew installing insulation to the ZLD Crystallizer Feed Tank on the Russell City Energy Center Project constru ction site in Hayward, CA. Her employer had been subcontracted by the general co ntractor, Bechtel. This work required working on scaffolding. Employee #1 was wo rking on the second deck of the scaffolding, above grade, and helping Coworker # 1 install insulation. The foreman, Coworker #2, was working on a level above Emp loyee #1. Employee #1's immediate supervisor, Coworker #3, was working at anothe r location on site and checking on Employee #1 approximately every 20 minutes, a s needed. There was a large crew that day, with frequent supervision. Employee # 1 was summoned to come down to ground level to assist. Upon exiting the gate at the scaffold rail, Employee #1 descended the ladder. At a level of approximately 8 feet above the ground, Employee #1 lost her footing and fell. She landed on h er side, striking a standoff-supported 6-inch diameter pipe. The Hayward Fire De partment responded to a call for emergency assistance and transported Employee # 1 to the hospital, where she was admitted and treated for fractured ribs, a punc tured right lung, and bruises to her right kidney and right leg. The Hayward Fir e Department reported this event to Cal/OSHA at 9:20 p.m. on March 8, 2013, leav ing a message with the Cal/OSHA Division's after-hours messaging service. The em ployer also attempted to report the event to Cal/OSHA but inadvertently called t he local Federal OSHA office. A Cal/OSHA representative contacted the employer o n March 11, 2013. The subsequent investigation found no obvious causal factor. E mployee #1 was not carrying anything while descending the ladder, and the scaffo lding and its ladder were observed to have been properly erected by Bechtel. The investigator's report concluded that Employee #1's injuries appeared to have be en the result of a simple error in footwork.

Incident on May 19, 2008: Employee is burned in gas explosion

On May 19, 2008, an explosion occurred in the fifth floor mechanical room of a 3 1-story Hilton Hotel under construction. Pipe unions had been left open followin g the purging of gas lines, allowing natural gas to escape and fuel the explosio n. Employee #1, with Farwest Insulation Contracting, was working on a ladder. He fell approximately 10 ft when the explosion occurred. Employee #1 was hospitali zed for second- and third-degree burns.