Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Report: Hispanic Roofer Dies After 15-Foot Fall from a Roof in North Carolina

摘要

On August 29, 2002, a 23- year-old male Hispanic roofer (the victim) died from injuries he sustained when he fell over the unprotected edge of a roof of an elementary school gymnasium to an asphalt walkway approximately 15 feet below. The victim was part of a seven-man roofing crew. He was last seen standing near the edge of the roof pulling up an additional length of power cord for the electric screw guns. No fall protection system was in place. A coworker standing nearby saw the victim fall over the edge. The foreman was working at ground level at the time of the incident and heard coworkers' calls for help. He called 911 from his cell phone while coworkers and school personnel ran to help the victim. Emergency responders arrived within a few minutes, and on observing the severity of the victim's head injury, called for a medical helicopter for transport. The medical helicopter was delayed due to weather problems. A military helicopter responded approximately 30 minutes after the incident and transported the victim to a regional trauma center where he was pronounced dead on arrival.