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Self-Employed General Contractor Dies in Fall From Rooftop in Massachusetts
Get PDFA 28 year old self-employed general contractor specializing in roofing material application fell 38 feet to his death off of an ice encrusted rooftop under construction in Massachusetts. While attempting to remove a rooftop tarpulin in icy weather conditions the victim slipped, fell, and slid 19 feet down the roof to an adjoining structure rooftop striking the rear portion of his head. He then slid an additional 14 feet down that rooftop to a 16 foot vertical drop over the edge to the frozen ground below. Losing consciousness, yet maintaining respirations and vital signs, the victim received emergency medical treatment on the scene within five minutes and was transported immediately to the regional medical center where he died four days later. The MA FACE Investigator concluded that employers should: 1. Evaluate environmental factors that would inhibit commencement and assurance of safe work practices in the planning phase of construction projects and on a daily basis, if necessary. 2. Implement current standard(s) which require the use of roof bracket working surfaces and catch platform systems on roofing operations. 3. Implement current standard(s) which require the use safety belts/harnesses, lifelines, and lanyards when working from elevations. 4. Select and appoint a designated safety person to develop, implement, and enforce a comprehensive safety program that includes, but is not limited to, training in fall hazard recognition and the use of fall protection devices.Cooperative Agreemen
Demolition Laborer Dies in Fall Through Skylight
Get PDFOn May 24, 2022, a 44-year-old Hispanic demolition laborer suffered a fatal fall while working on the roof of a building that was undergoing demolition. The employee was walking backwards when he stepped onto a skylight in the roof and fell through it, falling approximately 19 feet to a concrete floor below. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS - Key contributing factors identified in this investigation include: 1) Working at height; 2) Exposure to falls through skylights; 3) Multi-employer worksites; 4) Lack of understanding of workplace hazards and control methods; 5) Lack of safety training and communication. RECOMMENDATIONS - Kentucky FACE investigators concluded that, to help prevent similar occurrences, employers should: 1) Properly assess the assigned work for recognized hazards (e.g., job safety analysis, job hazard analysis, pre-task plan, etc.). 2) Provide appropriate fall arrest systems for employees working at height, including working around skylights, with a fall distance of 6 feet or more (e.g., guardrail system, covers, personal fall arrest system). 3) Consider prevention through design to "design out" or minimize hazards and risk. 4) Train employees on how to recognize fall hazards associated with the work being performed and the procedures to be followed in order to minimize these hazards 5) Provide training in a language that workers can understand. 6) Ensure that employers understand their responsibilities for the safety and health of their employees working on multi-employer worksites.Cooperative Agreemen
Laborer Electrocuted in Ohio [FACE 87-22]
No full textWhile attempting to repair and install a faulty, 8 foot long fluorescent light fixture, a laborer was electrocuted. He was in the third year of a 4 year apprentice program governed by the State of Ohio at a custom mold making shop. The light fixture was to be suspended by two sections of furnace chain about 2 feet below a 14 foot ceiling. During installation the excess chain was draped over sprinkler system pipes. Several times the fixture was secured in place and then plugged in, only to emit an orange glow. Workers unplugged the light, lowered it and laid it upside down. When plugged into an extension cord attached to a 110 volt receptacle, the bulbs lit properly. Without unplugging the fixture the victim turned it over, held it under his arm, and began to climb on a 2.5 foot tall metal stool when he was electrocuted. A coworker resting against the pipes of the sprinkler system was knocked backward by current that traveled up the chains and through the pipes. A short was found in the internal wiring of the fixture, which was active when the fixture was in its proper position, but not upside down. As the victim climbed the stool, the short reappeared, causing electrocution of the worker. Recommendations arising from this accident were that industrial electrical systems be periodically inspected and upgraded, that a comprehensive safety program be developed and implemented at this facility, that employees receive training in hazard awareness and recognition, and that proper work platforms be provided and used for elevated work surfaces.Publication date provided by the authoring office. There is no publication date indicated on the resource
Window Mechanic Dies in 250-Foot Fall
No full textA 30 year old male window mechanic died when he fell 250 feet through a window opening while attempting to replace the window. The victim was self employed. He had worked in the glass business for several years prior to going into business for himself approximately 4.5 years ago. The victim and his one employee had gone to a 21 story office building to replace a damaged window on the twenty first floor. To replace the broken window the victim first had to loosen and remove the bolts which secured the window frame to the structure and then remove the existing inner pane and frame from the opening. In order to reach the bolts at the top of the frame the victim placed a 3 foot high wooden stepladder next to the window. Standing on the second step of this ladder, he attempted to loosen one of the bolts by striking the bolt with a hammer held in his right hand. He missed the bolt and struck the window pane. The window shattered under the impact and the victim and the ladder on which he was standing fell sideways through the window opening to the brick courtyard 250 feet below. It is recommended that fall protection options be considered and selected whenever the potential for serious or fatal falls exist, and that work near a known damaged window be accomplished from the side rather than from directly in front of the window whenever possible.Publication date provided by the authoring office. There is no publication date indicated on the resource
Foundry Worker Dies in Indiana
No full textA foundry worker died as a result of exposure to methyl-chloroform (71556) while performing maintenance operations on a conveyor drive chain. He was using methyl-chloroform as a degreasing agent. The area from which he was servicing the chain was a pit, 28 feet long, 14 feet wide and 5 feet deep with a permanent ladder. The drive chain was about 2.5 feet above the floor level of the pit. Three windows on the wall directly above the service area were covered and a ceiling exhaust fan was not in operation. The victim was equipped with rubber gloves and overshoes, safety goggles, hard hat, and an air purifying respirator with an organic vapor cartridge. During his dinner break, he had complained to coworkers that the fumes were bothering him. At the end of the shift, a coworker found the victim lying on his side underneath the conveyor and the nozzle still spraying. He was lying 10 feet from the ladder in about 10 to 20 gallons of solvent. A supervisor and the coworker, without respiratory protection, removed the victim from the pit after several attempts. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Recommendations arising from this accident include initiation of comprehensive policies and procedures for entry into confined spaces, including testing of air quality, monitoring of air in space after entry, training in selection and usage of respiratory protection, emergency rescue procedures, and availability, storage, and maintenance of emergency rescue equipment.Publication date provided by the authoring office. There is no publication date indicated on the resource
Laborer Dies when Crushed Between Forklift Cage and Mast
Get PDFOn January 21, 2004, a 41-year-old male laborer (the victim) died when he was crushed between the cage of a forklift and the forklift mast. The victim was using a Caterpillar forklift (powered industrial truck) to unload bundled lumber from a semi-truck in the warehouse of a cabinet manufacturing shop. He had unloaded three bundles of lumber and stacked them against a wall in the building. He was preparing to stack the fourth bundle on top of the third bundle and it is surmised that he noticed one of the spacers on the third bundle, upon which the fourth bundle would be placed, was missing. The victim apparently climbed to the top of the bundle on the forklift to the area where the spacer should have been, and slipped, falling into the forklift controls. This caused the mast to tilt backwards and pin him. He was alone at the time of the incident and was found pinned between the forklift cage and the mast by the semi-truck driver. The semi-truck driver summoned other employees in the warehouse. The victim was freed from the forklift and CPR was performed by two other employees, while a third employee notified the emergency medical services (EMS). EMS arrived within five minutes and continued CPR. They determined the victim had no signs of life and contacted the county coroner, who requested the victim be transported to a local hospital. EMS transported the victim in the ambulance to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. FACE investigators concluded that, to help prevent similar occurrences, employers should: 1. ensure that employees follow safety standards for properly dismounting a forklift; 2. ensure that employees follow the safety standards for proper load manipulation, unloading and stacking; 3. ensure that the forklift operator's retraining covers his assigned duties.Publication Date provided by FACE program; not printed on the report.Cooperative Agreemen
Laborer is Killed When Backed Over by Asphalt Milling Machine - Massachusetts
Get PDFOn June 5, 2003, a 43-year-old male laborer (the victim) was fatally injured when struck by a backing asphalt milling machine. The paving crew had been using the milling machine to grind down a section of a parking lot. The victim was struck while walking alongside the milling machine while the machine was backing. A co-worker yelled to the milling machine operator to stop because the laborer was run over. The milling machine operator and a truck driver, who was on site, attended to the victim. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) were notified and responded to the incident site within minutes. The victim was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The Massachusetts FACE Program concluded that to prevent similar occurrences in the future, employers should: 1. Ensure that there is a clear line of communication between milling machine operators and the assigned ground persons. In addition, FACE investigators concluded that as a matter of prudent safety practice, employers should: 2. Ensure that employees have sufficient rest periods between work shifts. Milling machine manufacturers should: 3. Give increased attention to machine operator visibility when developing machine designs and operational procedures. 4. Explore the possibility of incorporating new monitoring technology on equipment, which will assist operators while backing.Cooperative Agreemen
Youth Newspaper Deliveryperson Killed When he Fell out of the Open Door of a Minivan and was Run Over
Get PDFA 9-year-old male newspaper delivery person (the victim) died after he fell out of an open door of a moving minivan and was run over by the vehicle. The victim was seated in the rear seat on the passenger side of the vehicle that was being driven by his stepfather (the driver). At each paper box stop, the victim would step out of the minivan to place an advertising newspaper in the paper boxes mounted on posts on the edge of the road. He usually did not use a seat restraint or lock the door after returning to the vehicle and riding to the next stop. On the afternoon of the incident, the victim had placed newspapers in the paper boxes of an unknown number of residences in a suburban community. He was in the vehicle and had the next paper in hand after placing a paper in a box, when the driver told him to close the door. The vehicle began to move forward, when the door swung open and the victim fell out. The rear wheel of the van ran over him before the driver could stop. Emergency services were summoned and were at the scene within four minutes. The victim was transported to a hospital, where he died the following day. The FACE investigator concluded that, to prevent similar occurrences, employers should: 1. Develop and enforce safety policies that require workers who are in motor vehicles to keep all doors closed and locked whenever the vehicle is in motion. 2. Know and comply with child labor laws which exclude employment of youths in occupations which are deemed detrimental to their health or well-being by the Secretary of Labor or state legislatures. Additionally, agencies responsible for setting standards for highway safety should: 3. Develop and enforce requirements for all occupants of moving vehicles to use occupant restraint systems whenever the vehicle is in motion.Publication Date provided by FACE program; not printed on the report.Cooperative Agreemen
Tanker Truck Driver Killed by Unshielded PTO Shaft
Get PDFIn May 2002, a 61-year-old truck driver working for a farm supply cooperative was killed when he became entangled in an auxiliary power take-off (PTO) shaft of a truck tractor. This PTO shaft transferred power from the tractor engine to fuel pumps on the tanker trailer. The PTO shaft was mounted on the outside of the tractor frame on the passenger side. The victim was working alone in the morning unloading a tanker trailer load of diesel fuel he had picked up the night before. After successfully unloading the fuel into a bulk tank nearby, he entered the area near the PTO shaft, between the cab and the rear wheels of the tractor. The unguarded, rotating PTO shaft caught his loose-fitting jacket, and he was instantly entangled, and died at the scene from a broken neck. A coworker arrived at approximately 9:00 a.m. to the work site, saw the truck running, and noticed the victim caught in the PTO shaft, which had broken during the entanglement. The shield for the PTO was missing, and employees and supervisors were unable to locate it, and had no information why, or when, the shield had been removed. Recommendations based on our investigation are as follows: 1. Employers and workers should ensure that PTO drivelines and other exposed drive-train components are shielded from contact with workers. 2. Employers should ensure that workers are trained to recognize the hazards of working near PTO drivelines and other hazardous machine parts.Cooperative Agreemen
Youth Farm Worker Pinned Under Overturned Horse-Drawn Manure Sled
Get PDFA 16-year-old male farm worker (the victim) died when a horse-drawn sled loaded with manure overturned on him. The victim had driven the horses with the sled to a snow-covered hillside about a half-mile from the farmstead to spread the load of cow and horse manure. He was in the wooden box that was piled high with manure, using a pitchfork to throw it out the back of the box. The long rectangular box sat on the cross braces attached to the sled runners. Wooden dowels projected up from the cross braces and through the bottom of the box to prevent the box from shifting side-to-side. Apparently, the box tipped sideways off the runners, trapping the victim under the load and the box. When the horses returned to the farmstead pulling the sled runners, the victim's family went to the field and found him under the box. They removed the box and went to a neighbor' house to contact authorities. The coroner, EMS and sheriff responded. The coroner pronounced the victim dead at the scene. The FACE investigator concluded that, to prevent similar occurrences, farmers who use box sleds should : 1. Design and build the sled box with secure attachments to the runners. 2. Ensure the loaded sled box maintains a low center of gravity.Publication Date provided by FACE program; not printed on the report.Cooperative Agreemen