Construction Fatality Narrative: Gutter Installer Falls from Patio Roof [2004]

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  Washington (State). Department of Labor and Industries
• Description:
  A 34-year-old installer and a coworker were installing gutters on a two-story residential home. They started the job at about 6 a.m. The installer's first task was to prepare the upper roof edge in order to hang the gutters. He went to the back of the house and used a ladder to get onto the roof of the patio. His coworker was in the front of the house forming the gutters they were going to hang. While standing on the patio roof, the installer started prying between the upper roof shingles and the fascia in order to make a space to attach the gutter flashing. As he continued prying toward the corner of the upper roof, he reached the edge of the patio roof on which he was standing. He either did not see the patio roof edge and stepped off or was extending his reach and lost his balance. He fell 13 feet to the concrete patio. The employer, who had just arrived, and homeowner found him at approximately 7 a.m. on the patio with his pry bar nearby. He was wearing a tool belt but not the personal fall protection equipment that was available in the work truck. Emergency responders declared him dead at the scene. Following the incident, investigators found the employer did not: Have a written accident prevention program (APP) or a fall protection work plan. Provide fall protection training or ensure workers used fall protection equipment. Document safety meetings. REQUIREMENTS: Employers must: Develop a formal, written APP. Develop and implement a written fall protection work plan, including each area of the workplace where the employees are assigned and where fall hazards of ten feet or more exist. Ensure that each employee on a walking/working surface with an unprotected side or edge four feet or more above the ground or lower level is protected by a fall protection system. Provide training for each employee exposed to fall hazards. Document attendance and subjects discussed at crew-leader safety meetings. RECOMMENDATIONS: FACE investigators concluded that to help prevent similar occurrences, employers should: Arrive on-site before work begins or appoint a supervisor to ensure that workers use fall protection and follow fall prevention safe work practices. During the pre-job safety meeting, go over the fall protection work plan and discuss workers' responsibilities and the details of how they will implement the plan. Make fall prevention a company priority and emphasize to workers to always use fall protection when required. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidental Falls Accident Prevention Accidents Construction Industry Mortality Occupational Health Safety Staff Development
• Keywords:
  Accident Prevention Construction Workers Fall Protection Falls Fatalities Training
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Publisher:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069810
• Citation:
  Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, 71-255-2024, 2024 Jun; :1
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• Performing Organization:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Construction fatality narrative: gutter installer falls from patio roof
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:cec147d567894d5c5f8993f7badf82497466c601cee75b6f60154fb7f2ef71ccb24592564313449135efda4485352963a781d57bd7436ed8dcac9390d8e42b65
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/229225/cdc_229225_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 290.19 KB ]