Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) for Wisconsin: Hispanic Painter Dies after Falling from a New House Roof

摘要

A 43-year-old Hispanic painter (the victim) fell from a roof while painting the exterior of a two-story home under construction. The victim was employed by a painting company that was contracted to paint the house. The company had worked at the site for two days prior to the incident, but the victim was not scheduled to work there on that day. When the victim showed up at the jobsite, the employee in charge allowed him to begin work. He was assigned to do ground-level painting and cleanup, while co-workers were painting the second story portions. The victim apparently climbed a ladder to a first story rooftop to paint the lower part of a second-story dormer. The victim was wearing worn, smooth-soled athletic shoes and was not wearing any fall protection equipment. He either slipped or tripped and fell from the roof, landing on the ground. A co-worker heard a yell, then turned to see the victim falling and hit the ground. The co-worker called for help, then called for EMS services. EMS responders transported the victim to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The FACE investigator concluded that to help prevent similar occurrences, employers should: (1) Develop, implement, and enforce a fall protection plan that protects workers against potential fall hazards and, at minimum, meets OSHA standards for fall protection. (2) Routinely have a competent person conduct hazard analysis of the work site and of employees tasks and develop safety and health programs and training to address identified hazards. (3) Provide training to workers who might be exposed to fall hazards. (4) Ensure that all workers who are part of a multilingual workforce comprehend training instructions in safe work procedures for all tasks to which they are assigned. (5) Enforce safety and health regulations and company policies by periodically performing scheduled and unscheduled inspections of employee work practices.