Roofing Laborer Dies after 60-Foot Fall

At 8:00 AM on the morning of October 7, 2003, a 33-year-old laborer, working for a roofing contractor, was removing debris from a commercial building roof when he slipped and fell 60 feet to the sidewalk below. There were 2 other laborers and the contractor at the work site that morning. It was the second work day at this particular job site and the three workers were to finish discarding bags of debris from the roof. The decedent and one of the laborers accessed the roof through the building interior, up a flight of stairs to a five-step ladder which led to the roof opening. Two personal fall arrest systems were available for the laborers to wear before they accessed the roof area. The personal fall arrest systems were secured to roof anchors by 25 foot lanyards so that when the laborers entered the roof area, they were wearing a personal fall arrest system and already tied off. The third laborer was in a pick-up truck parked next the building and the contractor was standing by the truck to load the bags of debris dropped off the roof by the two laborers. When the laborers approached the roof access, Laborer No. 1 used the personal fall arrest system and accessed the roof first. Laborer No. 2, the decedent, accessed the roof without using the personal fall arrest system. He grabbed a bag of trash and began walking toward the edge of the roof when he slipped and fell 60 feet to the sidewalk below. He died due to multiple blunt force injuries. To prevent future occurrences of similar incidents, the following recommendations have been made: Recommendation No. 1: Employers should have a written safety policy outlining safety practices, procedures and which state the consequences of not following the company policies. Recommendation No. 2: Employers should provide appropriate personal safety equipment and training on the proper use of that equipment. Recommendation No. 3: A competent person should conduct a hazard assessment of the job site prior to commencement of work. Control of the identified hazards and safe work procedures should be discussed. Recommendation No. 4: Employers should have a site specific fall protection plan written by a qualified person