Fatal Accident Circumstances and Epidemiology (FACE) Report: Roofer Dies AfterBeing Struck by a Falling Counterweight, Virginia, September 4, 1992

摘要

A roofer was killed when he was struck on the head by a falling 94 poundcounterweight. The 29 year old roofer was employed by a roofing contractor. A crew of six roofers had been replacing a built up asphalt roof. On their final day on the jobsite the workers were lowering the unused materials and equipment to the ground. Four worked on the ground, while the remaining two workers stayed on the roof to hook the loads to the hoist rope. A 55 gallon drum tar dispenser mounted on a four wheel rubber tired cart were being lowered together as tar had accumulated on the latches securing the dispenser to the cart. The total weight was 266 pounds. The swing boom of the hoist had been welded in place. The workers began to push the drum and cart over the edge when the front tire caught on a 12 inch high parapet. Asking for slack on the line, the roof workers pushed and lifted the right side of the cart. The cart cleared the parapet and free fell 3 feet. The abrupt tightening of the hoist rope pulled the swing hoist forward off the roof and catapulted all six counterweights over the edge; one counterweight hit the victim on the head, fracturing his skull. Recommendations include evaluating modifications made to equipment to ensure that modifications have not created potential hazards, conducting jobsite surveys to identify potential hazards, and requiring the use of personal protective equipment.