Inspection Detail

Note: The following inspection has not been indicated as closed. Please be aware that the information shown may change, e.g. violations may be added or deleted. For open cases, in which a citation has been issued, the citation information may not be available for 5 days following receipt by the employer for Federal inspections or for 30 days following receipt by the employer for State inspections.

Inspection: 1596145.015 - Leonard Biar

Inspection Information - Office: Austin Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 3:15 p.m. on May 16, 2022, an employee was working as a helper installing interior walls, ceilings and doors at a multi-employer construction site for a new commercial building. It was the employee's first day of work, and the worksite was in direct sunlight with no shade available other than within the employees' vehicles. The employee reported that he was not feeling well and had stopped sweating. The employee was killed from heat stroke at some point after finishing the work shift because he was not acclimated to the heat that he was exposed to in his working environment. Over the period of exposure during the work shift, the heat index ranged from 71 to 96 degrees F. Coworkers reported that the employee had consumed a Gatorade and water at the first morning break, a Gatorade at lunch, and another bottle of water at the time that the employee reported he was not feeling well. Water and Gatorade were provided on site by the employer but the employee was not trained on how to identify the symptoms of heat illness and their severity.

Keywords: Construction, Heat Exhaustion, Heat Stroke, Heat index, Heat-related illness , Installing, Multi-employer Worksite, Unacclimatized, Untrained