More than 200 workers with the Holland Board of Public Works, Barton Malow and their contractors from the Holland Energy Park walked to the lawn of Hope College's DeVos Fieldhouse Thursday, Aug. 11, to pray for the family of the worker who died after falling from the roof while on the job at Hope College. Photo courtesy of Holland Board of Public Works.By Curtis. Wildfong
@hollandsentinel.com, (616) 546-4279
Posted Aug. 12, 2016 at 4:04 PM
Holland, Mich.
A state agency focused on workplace safety has opened an investigation into the death of David Torrenga, a roof worker who died after falling from a Hope College building he was working on.
The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration confirmed Friday, Aug. 12, it will look into whether or not there were any violations of MIOSHA requirements that contributed to Torrenga’s fall.
Tanya Baker, a spokesperson for the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, which oversees MIOSHA, said the department looks into any work-related deaths outside of those that are considered to be heart attacks, aneurisms, homicides, suicides, most motor vehicle accidents and aircraft accidents.
Torrenga, of the Muskegon area, died at approximately 3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 10, just hours after he fell from a two-story rooftop at the college’s DePree Art Center & Gallery building at 160 E. 12th St. in Holland.
Police on scene said Torrenga, who was an employee with East Muskegon Roofing and Sheet Metal Co., struck his head during the fall and did lose consciousness. He regained consciousness before he was transported to Holland Hospital and eventually Spectrum Health.
Capt. Keith Mulder of the Holland Department of Public Safety said the incident appears to have been accidental.
“The deceased was working near the edge of the roof and fell off of the roof, according to a co-worker,” Mulder stated in an email.
The MIOSHA investigation is largely routine protocol in work-related deaths, Baker said. She said falls from construction sites are all too common in Michigan.
“Construction-related falls are the leading cause of work-related deaths here in Michigan,” Baker said.
Between 2010 and 2015, nearly 41 percent of the fatalities in Michigan’s construction industry consisted of falls.
Baker said the investigation could take several weeks to complete.
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East Muskegon Roofing and Sheet Metal Co.
History
We have been active in the commercial and industrial roofing and sheet metal business for over 60 years.
East Muskegon Roofing, Siding and Insulating Company was purchased by Joseph H. and Donna Smith in 1950. Mr. Smith operated the company as a sole owner on a part time basis while still employed at Continental Motors Corporation. When volume was sufficient to merit a full time job, Mr. Smith left his employment at Continental Motors to operate the business on a full time basis. The company was incorporated in the fall of 1954. At this time, residential siding and insulation were phased out of the business and efforts were increased toward industrial and commercial roofing sales. In 1956, a sheet metal division was added to complement the industrial and commercial work and later the company was renamed East Muskegon Roofing and Sheet Metal Co., Inc.
In 1962, Ronald A. Kanaar left his career with the Norge Corporation, which had recently moved from Muskegon Heights, MI to Fort Smith, AK, to move back to the Muskegon area. He joined East Muskegon Roofing and Sheet Metal Co., was put in charge of sheet metal operations, and became the Vice President. The sheet metal shop grew and expanded and in 1967, the first 60” wide automatic coil line in Michigan was added.
The spring of 1975 brought the untimely death of Joseph Smith. For the next two years, Joe’s widow, Donna, and her brother Ron ran the operations until the summer of 1977 when the company was purchased by Ron and his sons, Gregory R. Kanaar and Gary A. Kanaar.
After new warehouses, a paint booth and crib area were added, market expansion was targeted and investments in machinery were made. The most notable being a Cybermation computer-aided plasma cutting machine.
In 1980, a mechanical division was started to provide expert service in areas of commercial and industrial heating, ventilation and air conditioning and in 1985, the sheet metal division branched off into the Grand Rapids area opening Certified Sheet Metal in Comstock Park, later moving to Walker. Over the years, Certified Sheet Metal has developed exceptional experience and expertise in the sheet metal needs of the food and drug industry.
In the 1990’s, office space was added to provide for increased sales personnel in all departments and there were many investments in technology.
In the fall of 2000, Gregory Kanaar purchased the stock of Ron and Gary Kanaar and led the company as sole owner for the next eleven years.
More improvements to the sheet metal fabrication area followed with the installation of an overhead crane system. Then a Mazak laser machine was purchased for precision cutting in an increasingly competitive global market.
East Muskegon became woman-owned with majority stock ownership transferred to Eileen Kanaar in October of 2011.
From its roots, East Muskegon Roofing and Sheet Metal Co., Inc. continues to be the place to find excellent commercial and industrial roofing services and from its growth and reinvestment, both East Muskegon Roofing and Sheet Metal and Certified Sheet Metal have become second to none in HVAC and industrial sheet metal.