Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Report for Massachusetts: Self-Employed Painter in Massachusetts Dies in Fall of Twelve Feet from 'Widow's Walk' at a Single-Family Home

摘要

On May 22, 1996, a 68 year old self-employed male painter died of injuries sustained in a fall of approximately twelve feet at a Massachusetts residential renovation site. The victim was working on a small porch above the front doorway, known as a 'widow's walk', when the incident occurred. Apparently, the victim stepped off of a ladder on the landing and fell through the front rail which was rotten. A co-worker discovered the victim on the walkway and notified the homeowner to call an ambulance. Police and emergency medical services arrived shortly. The victim was secured and transported to a nearby baseball field where he was transported by helicopter to a regional university medical center. He was officially pronounced dead more than six hours following the incident. The MA FACE Program concluded that to prevent similar future occurrences, employers, and self-employed contractors, should: (1) Perform a site survey for structurally unsound building elements and repair, remove or sufficiently mark them.