Sheet Metal Mechanic Dies After Falling 25 Feet Through Roofing Insulation – South Carolina

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program
• Description:
  The case of a sheet metal mechanic who fell to his death during the removal and installation of a church roof was examined. The victim was involved in activities consisting of removing screws anchoring existing metal roof panels. The panels and underlying insulation were then removed and replaced with new insulation and a new roof panel. The new roof panels were smaller than the ones being removed, resulting in open spaces with exposed insulation around the work area. The accident occurred as the victim stepped backward into an area covered only by insulation. He fell 23 feet onto the hardwood church floor below. He was found breathing and other crew members went immediately to his aid. Emergency medical service workers arrived within 10 minutes, but the victim was pronounced dead of a skull fracture at the hospital 1 hour later. The employer had a written safety policy and program which were reviewed with all employees upon hire. It was suggested that a hazard evaluation be performed prior to the start of any work at new work sites, that fall protection equipment be provided and used by all employees when work is performed from elevations with the potential for falls, and that employees be trained in the recognition of hazards and methods of hazard control such as the use of appropriate safety equipment.
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Construction Industry Nervous System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Accident-analysis Construction-Search FACE-95-19 Head-injuries OSHA Region 4 Roofers Roofing-industry Traumatic-injuries Work-practices
• FACE - NIOSH and State:
  FACE ; Construction ; Falls ; Falls - Construction - Commercial ; Falls - Construction - Roofs
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Subseries:
  NIOSH (In-House)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHFACE9519
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  South Carolina ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSR - Division of Safety Research
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  3 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00230675
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB96-197777
• Citation:
  Morgantown, : U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1996
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  23 - Construction - (NAICS)
• Start Date:
  1995/07/20
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:13e48fc6e2695135174e126ef820c8a482d1a3f4f79b44b70e8e459329f00d0af3638551693de813b19f708042aef226aaa689a83d5a11c9d4e334219ff036de
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/167434/cdc_167434_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 256.22 KB ]