Fatal Accident Circumstances and Epidemiology (FACE) Report, Ironworker Dies Following a 25-Foot Fall through a Roof Opening, December 14, 1988

摘要

On December 14, 1988, a 41 year old male ironworker died when he fell 25 feet after stepping through a roof opening. The victim had been employed for about 18 years as an ironworker by a small construction firm. The victim was part of an eight person crew finishing the steel erection for a six story building. At the time of the incident, the crew had returned from a break and was going to finish laying the formwork decking in the mechanical area on the roof. When the members of the crew noticed that the victim did not return from break, they began searching for him, finding him, having apparently fallen about 18 feet onto the concrete stairs and then another 7 feet to the floor where he was found lying across a guy wire. He apparently had stepped into a 2 foot square stairway ventilation opening on the roof. The opening had been covered by a piece of decking, which the victim apparently removed for use elsewhere. He died 12 hours later, presumably as a result of traumatic injuries sustained in the fall. Recommendations include protecting all floor and roof openings with standard railing or a floor hole cover secured against displacement, hazard analysis as an ongoing part of each job phase, and cutting the roof openings as the last ironworking activity on the roof.