Case report #: 71-277-2026
Date of report: April 20, 2026
Issued by: Washington State Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Program
A 27-year-old man had worked for his employer, a general construction contractor, for nine months. On the day of the incident, he was with two co-workers at the site of a new apartment complex. The laborer was unloading boxes from the elevated forks of a telehandler to the balcony. The open edge of the balcony had a temporary guardrail made of a pair of 2-by-6-inch boards. The boards were fastened with wood screws to supporting posts 10 feet apart at opposite ends of the balcony. The laborer’s co-workers were working on the ground floor when they heard a loud cracking noise. One looked up and saw the laborer fall headfirst to the pavement. They contacted their supervisor, who called 911. First responders arrived and began CPR. A few minutes later they pronounced the worker dead. Investigators found that the temporary guardrails did not have a midway post for their 10-foot span, as required for a span of more than 8 feet. The guardrails were fastened to the front of the supporting posts of the balcony using just one 2½-inch wood screw on each end. The actual thickness of the nominal 2-by-6 board is 1¾ of an inch, which allowed only a half inch of the screw to thread into the post. One of the boards also had a screw that was not fully seated into it. The guardrails were unable to withstand at least a 200-pound outward load applied to them, as required. The site supervisor had not checked the guardrail installation, nor did he know who had installed it.
TO PREVENT SIMILAR OCCURENCES, EMPLOYERS SHOULD:
- Perform a pre-job review of guardrail requirements with workers. Have supervisors review and ensure workers understand specific requirements before they begin work.
- Inspect guardrail systems before and during work. Arrive onsite each day before work begins or appoint a supervisor to check that guardrails are installed according to requirements. Do not begin work until requirements are met. Spot check guardrails throughout the day.
- Make fall prevention a company priority. Emphasize fall protection in one-on-one worker check-in meetings, daily crew meetings, monthly safety meetings, annual stand-downs and company media.
