U. S. Department of Labor
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Directorate of Science, Technology and Medicine
Office of Science and Technology Assessment
Hazards of Manually Lifting Balloon Framed Walls
Safety and Health Information Bulletin
SHIB 11-17-2005
This Safety and Health Information Bulletin is not a standard or regulation, and
it creates no new legal obligations. The Bulletin is advisory in nature,
informational in content, and is intended to assist employers in providing a
safe and healthful workplace. Pursuant to the Occupational Safety and Health Act,
employers must comply with hazard-specific safety and health standards
promulgated by OSHA or by a state with an OSHA-approved state plan. In addition,
pursuant to Section 5(a)(1), the General Duty Clause of the Act, employers must
provide their employees with a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to
cause death or serious physical harm. Employers can be cited for violating the
General Duty Clause if there is a recognized hazard and they do not take
reasonable steps to prevent or abate the hazard. However, failure to implement
any recommendations in this Safety and Health Information Bulletin is not, in
itself, a violation of the General Duty Clause. Citations can only be based on
standards, regulations, and the General Duty Clause.
Purpose
This Safety and Health Information Bulletin alerts employers and employees
that manually raised balloon framed walls could become too heavy for employees
to hold and could collapse back onto the employees. From July 1999 through
July 2004, 22 balloon framed wall collapses were reported. Four of these
accidents occurred in the Chicago area. In one of these accidents, in August
2003, eight employees were sent to local hospitals; two of them suffered
broken feet and vertebrae. Six other employees suffered back, shoulder and
neck strains. This bulletin will summarize:
How balloon framed walls can collapse onto the employees raising them; and
Methods to prevent accidental collapse of balloon framed walls while they are being raised.
Background
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA's) Calumet City Area
Office investigated an accident where the weight of a balloon framed wall
became too heavy for the employees raising the wall, and the wall collapsed
back onto the employees. OSHA's Integrated Management Information System (IMIS)
data from July 1999 through July 2004 recorded 21 additional incidents
involving the collapse of balloon framed walls. As a result of these 22
incidents, five employees died and
28 employees were injured, 16 of whom required hospitalization.
Balloon Framing
Balloon framing involves the placement of framed walls (generally over 10 feet
in height) that run the entire vertical length from the structure's floor sill
plate to the roof. Balloon framed walls have been raised for years using
manual labor. However, over the years framed walls have become heavier due to
contemporary construction designs. Many contractors have developed guidelines
for employees raising such walls. However, these guidelines are not consistent
and often rely heavily on the foreman
guessing the weight of the wall and estimating the number of employees
necessary to perform the lift.
Accident Description
The accident near the Calumet City Area Office occurred on a site where a
contractor was building new homes. The wall involved in the incident was 22
feet, 10 inches in width and 18 feet in height, with a 30-foot chimney chase
attached. The wall weighed approximately 2,300 pounds, and 15 employees were
raising it by hand.
The wall was built on the deck (first floor) of the house. Fifteen carpenters
spread out along the top plate of the wall and began to lift it. The
carpenters lifted the wall to approximately waist height, placed it on saw
horses, and then attached braces. The carpenters then continued to lift the
wall. Three carpenters dropped back to help push up the wall using the braces.
The additional weight distributed to the remaining carpenters overwhelmed the
12 carpenters who remained at the top plate.
The carpenters interviewed stated that the wall was at an angle of
approximately 30 degrees when it fell back onto the workers. The carpenters
attempted to "back down" the wall, but it fell onto them. Several employees
were able to step into window openings, avoiding the falling wall, while
several others were unable to avoid the falling wall, including two employees
who were pinned under the wall. These two employees were freed by the other
carpenters,
but they suffered broken feet and vertebrae. Six other carpenters were treated
at local hospitals and released with strains and sprains of their backs,
shoulders and necks.
Safe Lifting Methods
Employers may use a combination of the following methods to protect employees
from the potential collapse of balloon framed walls:
Example of carpenters manually raising a balloon
framed wall with a chimney
chase attached.
As the photo depicts, more than 10 workers are
exposed to
being struck by the wall if it collapses
onto them.
Pre-plan the job;
Determine the weight of the walls;
Conduct "pre-lift" meetings to discuss the safest methods for raising these walls;
Use a competent person to consider and supervise all aspects of the lifting operation;
Use cranes with appropriate and approved attachments to assist in raising and placing balloon framed walls;
Use either forklifts of adequate size and capacity for lifting balloon framed walls or rough terrain
forklifts (Figure 1) with appropriate and approved attachments in placing balloon framed walls;
Figure 1
Prior to the lifting of the wall, establish a limited access zone whenever a balloon framed wall is being
raised;
The limited access zone should be equal to the height of the wall plus four
feet and should run the entire length of the wall;
The limited access zone should be restricted to entry by employees actively
engaged in lifting the wall and no other workers be allowed to enter the zone;
The limited access zone should remain in place until the wall is adequately
supported and braced to prevent accidental collapse;
Secure bottom plates with adequate sized metal bands (at least a one-inch
band nailed to the floor joists) located at each end of the wall and spaced
not more than 6 feet apart
(Figure 2) or other adequate feasible means of securing the bottom plate.
Figure 2
Use either manual or mechanical/electrical wall jacks (Figures 3 & 4) to
assist with the lifting and placing balloon framed walls;
Figure 3
Figure 4
If the manual lifting method is chosen and a determination is made that a
method exists to safely lift these walls, assure that a sufficient number of
workers are continually assisting while each wall is being raised to prevent
the wall from falling back onto them and to prevent overexertion by workers
lifting each wall; and
Require employees to use the proper procedures for engaging load-handling
attachments onto forklifts or cranes. Make these safe lifting procedures part
of the company's safety and health program.