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Safe Use of Step Stools in Schools Fatality File

Employee Fractures Bone Below Knee Falling Off Step Stool

At approximately 10:50 a.m. on August 30, a high school teacher placed a 2-ft-high step stool adjacent to a wall at the front of the classroom.

She wanted to remove some posters and mount a large, blank poster on the wall near the ceiling. The teacher was holding the poster paper when she climbed onto the step stool. She then lost her balance and fell to the floor, striking her right knee.

The school principal responded to the emergency and summoned help. The teacher's bone just below the knee was shattered, and she underwent surgery for an internal fixation device.

Apparently, the step stool was wobbly, unstable, and in poor condition. The stool was disposed of shortly after the accident.

Source: Osha.gov