A Stagehand Falls from the Ceiling of an Amphitheater

SUMMARY

A stagehand died when he fell approximately 60 feet from the ceiling of an amphitheater to the floor below. The victim was removing the decorations from a recent event held at the incident scene. He climbed over the guard rail of the ceiling catwalk, walked on top of an air conditioning duct, then stepped onto a false ceiling tile to remove a suspended decoration. The false ceiling panel collapsed under his weight and he fell to the carpet-covered concrete floor below. The victim was not wearing any fall protection. His supervisor was working on the floor below. The CA/FACE investigator determined that, in order to prevent future falls, employers should ensure that:

• Employees working at elevated heights wear fall protection when necessary.
• Employees are properly supervised when working at elevated heights.
• A site-specific fall protection plan is designed and implemented for work to be performed at elevated heights.

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