Iron worker dies in 42 foot fall after stepping through roof insulation.
Authors
New Jersey Department of Health
Source
Morgantown, WV: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, FACE 99NJ041, 2000 Jan; :1-6
On May 18, 1999, a 37-year-old iron worker was killed after falling through the roof of a building under construction. The incident occurred while the victim and his co-workers were laying fiberglass insulation panels and steel roof decking sheets at the site of a new refrigerated warehouse. At around noontime the crew had stopped for lunch and was trying to get off of the roof on a personnel lift that had just broken down. Fearing that the catering truck would leave, the victim went to the roof edge and yelled to the driver to wait. He stepped off the steel roof onto a fiberglass panel that broke under his weigh, causing him to fall 42 feet to the concrete floor below. NJDHSS FACE investigators concluded that, to prevent similar incidents in the future, these safety guidelines should be followed: 1. Employers must require fall protection when employees are constructing or working near leading edges. 2. Employers should develop, implement, and enforce a comprehensive employee safety program. 3. Employers should regularly inspect and maintain personnel lifts and other powered equipment.
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