Two men were holding an offset piece of 14” metal duct
in the ceiling for installation. The working height was
approximately 10’ above the finished floor. The total
length of the offset duct was approximately 3’.
The east end of the duct was to be welded to a 90°
elbow located at the top of a rectangular trunk line and
the west end of the duct was to be set in a hanger. Both
men were tied off using step ladders and wearing the
required PPE (gloves, safety glasses, and proper
footwear).
In adjusting the duct prior to the weld, the east end
which was placed into the existing 90° slipped and the
worker made a reactionary motion to grab the piece of
offset duct as it began to fall perpendicular to the
floor. In doing so, the worker’s hand/glove were placed
inside the circumference of the 14” duct as it fell,
resulting in a laceration approximately 1”-2” outside the
edge of the worker’s glove on the underside of the
forearm/wrist area.