Sunday, February 8, 2015

ROOFER DIES AFTER GUST OF WIND KNOCKS HIM AND CO-WORKER OFF ROOF




 ROOFER DIES AFTER GUST OF WIND KNOCKS HIM AND CO-WORKER OFF ROOF 


SUMMARY: 

The roofer was a part-time employee for the past five years.  He had been a brick mason and was still employed as a part-time farmer who helped the family owned business as he was needed.  The roofing company has been in business since 2006 and employs six workers, two of them are roofers.  

The company has a worker safety program in place and had trained all their employees on working safely.  However, the training wasn’t specific to fall protection or documented.  There was no written fall protection plan but there was a competent person assigned and trained at the time of the incident.

Around 11:00 a.m. on a windy fall day, a 73-year-old roofer and a roofing coworker arrived at the commercial construction site to roof a newly constructed building.  The two roofers climbed an extension ladder to access the roof to determine where they were going to place their anchors to tie off.  

While reviewing the backside of the commercial structure, a gust of wind around 33 m.p.h. made the two roofers lose their balance and fall from the roof.  The 73-year-old roofer landed first and the second roofer landed on top of him. Both men fell 15 feet and 6 inches and landed on a sloped grassy area. 

To prevent future occurrences of similar incidents, the following recommendations have been made: 


Recommendation No. 1: Employers should not allow their roofers to access roofing areas in times of windy, wet, or icy or conditions to prevent falls. 

Recommendation No. 2: A roofer should use a personal fall protection system during all phases of a roofing job.  

Recommendation No. 3: Employers should have a written fall protection program in place.  

Recommendation No. 4: Employers should fully plan their fall protection system before it is used. 




ALWAYS REMEMBER:
WHEN AN EMPLOYEE IS KILLED OR INJURED BY A PREVENTABLE WORKPLACE HAZARD, THIS IS NO ACCIDENT.  IT MEANS THE EMPLOYER FAILED TO PROTECT WORKERS FROM DANGERS THAT CAN CAUSE INJURY, ILLNESS OR, NEEDLESS DEATH