Time Management: Managing Multiple Tasks Safely Fatality File

Framer Struck by Wall, Falls through Floor Opening

A fatality case reported by the Washington State FACE Program involved a 73-year-old framer who died while helping a crew raise a large exterior wood-framed wall. The wall was approximately 14 feet high and weighed about 2,100 pounds. As the crew lifted the wall into position, a brace failed, and the wall struck the worker on the head. The impact caused him to fall through an unprotected 4-by-8-foot floor opening, approximately 8 feet down to a concrete floor below. He later died from his injuries.

This case relates closely to time management and managing multiple tasks safely because the crew was handling several critical tasks at the same time. They were lifting a heavy wall, positioning braces, using tools, coordinating with several workers, and working near a floor opening. When multiple tasks happen at once, it becomes easier to miss hazards, lose communication, or continue working before proper controls are in place.

Source: www.lni.wa.gov