Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Report for Minnesota: Marina Employee Dies after Falling from Marina Storage Building Roof

摘要

A 30-year-old marina mechanic (victim) died of injuries he sustained when he fell from the roof of a storage building. He used a ladder to access the roof of the building to install weather stripping along the ridge of the roof. He was not wearing or using any type of personnel fall protection equipment. While he worked on the roof, two other employees worked in a nearby building. About one hour after the victim climbed onto the roof, it began to snow and the roof became slippery. The two coworkers noticed the falling snow and decided to check on the victim's progress installing the weather stripping. The victim told his coworkers that he was finished and that he was coming down from the roof. One of the coworkers told him to stay near the ridge of the roof while the coworkers got a rope to help him safely off of the roof. The coworkers obtained a rope and were approaching the building where the victim had been working when they saw him sliding down the roof. The victim slid off the edge of the roof and struck the ladder as he fell to the ground. The coworkers ran to the victim who was unconscious and not breathing. While one of them administered resuscitation efforts, the other ran to the marina office and placed a call to emergency medical personnel. They arrived at the scene shortly after being notified and transported the victim to a local hospital where he died approximately one hour later. MN FACE investigators concluded that to reduce the likelihood of similar occurrences, the following guidelines should be followed: (1) whenever work is performed at an elevation where the potential for a fall exists, fall protection equipment should be used; and (2) employers should design, develop, and implement a comprehensive safety program.