The Roofing Safety Toolbox

Terry and a coworker were installing metal trim on a roof their company had recently finished. It was Monday morning and both men had just started working. Terry’s coworker put up the ladder and climbed onto the roof to find some material they left on the roof over the weekend. At that time, Terry was still on the ground and was trying to finish a cell phone conversation with his wife. Terry couldn’t get her off of the phone, and in his haste he started climbing the ladder while still listening to his wife on the other end of the phone. As Terry was stepping onto the sixth rung of the ladder, the ladder shifted and Terry fell four feet to the concrete pad below. Although he didn’t fall far, when he hit the concrete he shattered his hip. There Terry lay in agonizing pain, yelling for his coworker. His wife could hear his yells for help. But Terry’s cell phone was beyond his reach. Fortunately, Terry’s coworker heard him and quickly called 911. The ambulance arrived 10 minutes later and took Terry to the hospital.

Needless to say, these two didn’t get much accomplished the rest of the day and Terry had to spend several weeks off the job. Luckily Terry’s mistake was not fatal! But it certainly was preventable.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

Several factors combined to cause this incident. What are some of them?

Terry’s coworker set-up the ladder and was the first one up. In haste to retrieve some of the material they left on the roof, he failed to tie-off the ladder. What else can be overlooked when we are in a hurry?

Terry made a huge error as well. In his haste to get up the ladder and get started, he started to climb the ladder while still on his cell phone. Can you think of safe work practice that you failed to perform simply because you were in a hurry?

These days most folks think of cell phones as being indispensible. However in this circumstance, a cell phone created a hazard. Of course, talking on a cell phone while climbing a ladder is hazardous. What other hazards might cell phones create on a jobsite?

Consider the ringtone volume on your cell phone. When everything else is quiet, a loud ringtone could startle you or a coworker working beside. Whether you are carrying a bucket of hot tar, using a nail gun, climbing a ladder, or performing any other hazardous task, being startled is something you most certainly want to avoid.

There were a total of 24 claims submitted during the third quarter of 2009.

Slips, Trips & Falls (6 claims) initial incurred $252,025

Strains (7 claims) initial incurred $233,016

Burns (2 claims) initial incurred $103,029

Puncture/Cut (6 claims) initial incurred $43,401

Physical Exertion (1 claim) initial incurred $1,500

Auto Accident (1 claim) initial incurred $1,500

Eye Injury (1 claim) initial incurred $500

The following were the largest claims that occurred during the third quarter of 2009.

• An employee carrying materials from one side of a roof to another when he stepped through a damaged section of roof.
  
• After using splice cleaner, an employ lit a cigarette and both hands caught on fire.
  
• An employee was lifting asphalt and strained his shoulder
  
• In preparation for installation of a metal roof, an employee was removing a plastic cover when the metal slipped and cut his thumb.
  
• An employee got out of his truck, turned-around to get supplies, and tripped on a brick that was in the parking lot, twisting his knee.
  
• In lifting a propane gas tank onto a truck, and employee strained his neck and shoulder.
  
• An employee using a power broom to broom-off a roof fell from the roof.
  
• An employee was walking backwards pulling a piece of rubber when he stepped in a roof drain injuring his back.
  

Last year the economy was pretty bad, and there wasn’t much roofing work going on. In fact Antonio’s employer (who had never laid-off any employees) had to layoff several employees. But this year (at least so far) business has been booming for Antonio’s employer. They have all the work they can handle, and are even turning away some work.
For the past 3 weeks Antonio’s crew had been working 10 to 12 hour days, 6 days/week. Now they were just hours away from a 3-day holiday weekend that their employer said all employees could take off. Needless to say every man on the crew was looking forward to a long weekend and some much needed rest and relaxation.

It was almost five o’clock and the crew supervisor told everybody to wrap it up. Antonio carried over all of his tools, locked them up in the box, and headed over to the ladder. He was the last man down the ladder and jumped the last two steps on his way down the ladder. But he landed flat-footed and immediately felt an excruciating pain in his left knee. He folded to the ground, grabbed his knee, and clenched his teeth in pain.

Antonio limped to the truck and they all went to the shop. At the shop, the company owner noticed Antonio’s injury and made him go for medical attention. After spending the first several hours of his extended weekend sitting in an emergency room waiting to be seen, he was evaluated and diagnosed with a torn a ligament in his knee.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

Obviously we know from this incident that we are never to jump from a ladder (or from any elevated level).

Under what circumstances might you be tempted to jump from an elevation, such as a ladder, truck or to a slightly lower elevation of a flat roof?

Why do you think Antonio jumped off of the ladder with only two steps to go?

Do you care about your coworkers and this company enough to correct a fellow employee if you see him jumping off of a ladder, truck, or other elevated surface?

Stanley and his coworkers were anticipating rain one morning and were wondering if they should proceed on this roof. They reluctantly started the job of tearing off the roof, and sure enough – about two hours into tearing off the roof, the rain began. It wasn’t the type of rain that starts with a drizzle and gradually builds. No, it was the type of rain that plasters your clothes to your skin within a few seconds.

Stanley and his coworkers quickly went into emergency mode to attempt to cover the exposed area. They were able to cover the area and hopefully prevent any major damage. Now they had to get off of the roof before the lightning began.
Safely (but swiftly) Stanley and his coworkers went down the ladder and rushed to their truck. They were done for the day. However, to Stanley’s dismay, one of the fire extinguishers was left out. He knew that it would be stolen if they left the job without loading it into the truck. So he jumped out of the truck into the rain and rushed over to the fire extinguisher. He picked up the extinguisher and turned to run back over to the truck.

In the process of running, he tripped over a brick that had been left on the ground. Stanley stumbled and then fell forward, landing on the fire extinguisher he was carrying. He got up, limped to the truck, and pulled-up his shirt to look at his stomach. Although it is not bleeding, he sees a large scrape that was created by the handle of the fire extinguisher when he landed on it. To make things even worse, he realized that he sprained his ankle when he stepped on that brick.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

Stanley was taken down by a brick – a brick that was undoubtedly left by one of the other contractors on the jobsite. It is very likely that Stanley and the other workers stepped over or around that brick earlier that day. Whose job is it to keep our jobsites clear of debris and other hazards?

When we break from this safety talk, take a look at this jobsite. Is it clear of debris?

Lastly, you work outdoors. You will get rained on sometimes and none of us will melt. Sure no one likes to get wet when they’re wearing their work clothes, but rushing when it is raining is a recipe for an injury. Instead of rushing in wet weather, slow down and exercise extra caution.

Last January a roofing company in North Carolina was performing roofing work on a flat roof of a furniture manufacturer. It was a rather large job that took several weeks to complete.

The crew assigned to that job was normally very safety conscious. They made it a point to follow all of the safety rules put in-place by the furniture manufacturer; they conducted safety meetings daily; and all the employees were very diligent about wearing their personal protective equipment. Because there were electric transmission lines on the roof where some work needed to be done, they had temporarily turned the electricity off to the portion of the building they were working on.

After the job was done, Jerome (a roofer’s helper) and a few of his coworkers were on the roof cleaning-up and gathering any tools left on the roof.

After seeing some of the roofers start to take down the ladders and put their tools away, a supervisor in the plant assumed that the work on the roof had been completed and that it was safe to turn the power back on.

Unfortunately while Jerome was on the roof he sat a broom against the electrical wire and walked off. When the power was turned on, the broom shorted out the electrical system of the plant and created a small fire on the roof. Jerome saw what happened but had already taken the fire extinguishers off of the roof.

He yelled to his coworkers on the ground and eventually got a fire extinguisher onto the roof. He did extinguish the small fire, but damage to the electrical system and the roof had already been done. Fortunately nobody was injured.

 DISCUSSION NOTES:

Were lockout/tagout procedures used correctly in this situation?

What are the procedures that must be followed for every lockout/tagout situation?

Apparently the fire extinguishers were taken off of the roof too early. At what point do we remove fire extinguishers from a roof after a job is completed?

Always treat electricity like it is live! Jerome was under the assumption that the electricity was off and would remain off. Have there been times when you or a coworker failed to treat electrical transmission lines with the appropriate degree of caution?

What could have been done differently to have prevented this incident?

What could we do to improve upon our training for new and existing employees regarding electrical safety?

James has been a roofer for 10 years and knows his job well. He is the most experienced man on his crew. One day last August, James and his coworkers were replacing a flat roof. They had just torn off the old roof and realized there was water damage under the roofing that needed to be repaired before they could proceed. James grabbed the materials and tools needed to repair the roof (including a nail gun), and got to work.
Shortly after James had started repairing the damaged section of roof, one of his coworkers’ (not one of the most coordinated ones) tripped over his two own feet and stumbled forward directly into another coworker. Trying to keep one another from falling, the two found themselves looking as if they were hugging. James and the other guys on the roof started laughing and ribbed their coworkers, telling them to wait until they got off work for that kind of stuff.

This all got James laughing so hard that he had forgotten he was holding a nail gun… and that he had his finger on the trigger. However, his laughter quickly turned into a scream when James inadvertently bumped his lower leg with the tip of the nail gun causing a nail to shoot through into his leg and become embedded in the bone.

Realizing what had happened one of his coworkers called for an ambulance, while the others tried to get him off of the roof safely.

DISCUSSION NOTES

This incident reinforces the point that even experienced roofers can be distracted while on the job. You have a dangerous job. Be aware that distractions can take your focus off of your job and make it even more hazardous. Obviously joking around with coworkers can take your focus off of the task you are performing. What else can distract you while at work?

Do we have a plan for getting an injured worker off of a roof if they are unable to climb down a ladder themselves? On some jobs this is easier than others. What are some jobs where it would be difficult? On those jobs, how could we get the injured coworker off the roof safely?

Nail guns are valuable tools in roofing, but they are dangerous, and are not always the best tool for the job. What are some of the hazards associated with using a nail gun?

Do you think our training for new and existing employees relative to nail guns can be improved upon?

What can you do to prevent nail gun incidents?

It was another job in the books. All of the men were cleaning up supplies. All the tools were being placed back in the truck and the left over supplies were being lowered down on the hoist to be put back in their place. It was a Friday before a long holiday weekend and everyone was talking about their plans for the as they finished up.

Ming was the last man on the roof. The ladder positioned properly. It extended 3 feet above the roof’s edge and it was also tied off, just like it is supposed to be. As he started to climb down, Ming removed the rope that secured the ladder. A coworker (James) had previously positioned the service truck next to the ladder so they could have easy access to store supplies. He didn’t know that Ming was climbing down the ladder and decided to pull the truck over to the kettle. However, as he moved the truck, James drove too close to the ladder and the bumper caught the ladder. As a result, Ming and the ladder both crashed to the ground. Ming broke his arm and cracked a rib when hit the ground. They had to rush him to the hospital and Ming was out of work for several weeks.

DISCUSSION NOTES

What precautions do you take if you are the last one down the ladder and need to untie it at the top before climbing down?

Would an employee holding the ladder for Ming have prevented this incident?

Do you know of any similar incidents?

Obviously bumping a ladder with a truck can cause it to fall. But parking a truck close to a ladder presents other hazards too. Consider how an employee might accidentally bump a ladder when removing tools and equipment from a service truck.

Martinez and his coworkers are seasoned roofers and have been roofing for more than 10 years. One day they were working on a reroofing job of a single-ply flat roof. Warning lines were erected and an employee was designated to serve as a safety monitor.

As there were no overhead hazards while on the roof, their company did not require them to wear hardhats while on the roof. However, employees were required to wear a hardhat if they climbed down from the roof. For that reason Martinez and his fellow employees placed their hardhats on the roof near the top of the ladder.

Before long, Martinez realized that they forgot to bring up a fire extinguisher. In his haste, Martinez forgot to put on a hardhat as he climbs down the ladder. He went to the service truck, got a charged fire extinguisher, and headed over to the hoist. As he approached the hoist, his coworker Mike is tearing off the old roof and throws some of the old roof over into the dumpster beside the hoist. A large piece of debris missed the dumpster and landed on Martinez who was waiting on someone to help him hoist up the fire extinguisher.

The debris struck Martinez in the head with such force that it caused him to lose consciousness. Mike looked over the side of the roof and saw what had happened. As he rushed over to the ladder yells for someone to call 911.

Martinez regained consciousness as the ambulance pulled up, but is rushed to the hospital so they can check him out. He received stitches for the cut on his head and is released later that day.

DISCUSSION NOTES

Are there overhead exposures on our current job?

When are hardhats required on our current job?

Does every member of our crew have a hardhat available to him?

If there is a man on the ground while others are working on the roof, does he have his hardhat on at all times?

Is it ok to wear a hardhat backwards or hearing a baseball cap under your hardhat is not permitted.

What should Mike (the guy on the roof) should have done differently to have prevented this incident?

Does our crew routinely place barriers around the dumpster area to keep people away from falling debris?

Dan is the sheet metal specialist for his roofing company and Tim is his assistant. One rainy day and Mike was helping Dan and Tim in the shop. Mike was on the roofing crew but was helping out the Dan and Tim because of the inclement weather. Dan and Tim deal with a lot of metal. They are accustomed to the machines they work with; and are intimately familiar with the hazards of working with sheet metal.

At the time of this incident, Mike and Tim were cleaning up the shop while Dan was doing his normal work. Mike was cleaning up metal trim and reached over to pick up a jagged piece of metal. Dan looked over and saw Mike holding his hand and blood on the shop floor. Tim is a First-Aid/CPR responder so he quickly ran over and retrieved the first aid kit, put on his latex gloves and safety goggles, and found a bandage in the first aid kit. He applied pressure to the cut on Mike’s hand and helped survey the situation. This was a deep cut that would require stitches. Dan informed the secretary in the office and then drove the men to the hospital. Tim kept pressure on the bandage and Mike tried to keep his hand higher than his heart to minimize blood loss while they waited for medical attention. Once in the emergency room, the doctor and the nurses put in a couple of stitches and Mike was sent on his way. Mike’s hand would be soar but he wouldn’t lose much time from work.

Back at the shop, Dan and the owner were looking over the area of the accident. Dan was filling-out the accident form and went over the happenings of that day. After talking with everyone, it became obvious that Mike had not been wearing gloves all day. He also learned that Mike had been wearing tennis shoes. Had Mike been wearing gloves, this accident could have been prevented.

DISCUSSION NOTES

What are the OSHA requirements for gloves under this situation and were they being followed?

Does your current job require that you wear gloves?

Besides gloves what other PPE should Tim have had on (and why)?

Who on your crew has been trained to render First Aid and CPR?

Tim and Dan were much more experienced working in the shop and knew the hazards of working with sheet metal. What should they have done differently?

Don’t assume that new employees know what PPE to wear even if it appears that its common sense.

Are tennis shoes permitted on a jobsite or in your shop area?

Derek and Henry were performing some roof repair at a furniture manufacturer. They had performed work there before. In fact, the furniture manufacturer was a fairly regular client of their company. Before beginning work, both Derek and Henry sat in a safety meeting conducted by the plant’s Safety Coordinator where they learned that eye protection and hearing protection are required to be worn 100 percent of the time. They signed a form acknowledging the company’s “Zero Tolerance Policy” regarding violation of personal protective equipment (PPE) rules. In an attempt to please the client; be safe; and keep out of the trouble, they were working on the roof with ear plugs and safety glasses.

The two roofers were repairing some metal flashing. They had brought a piece of sheet metal from the shop, but it needed trimmed to fit. Henry and Derek had just spoken with the safety coordinator and knew that he had gone to other areas of the plant.

It was a very hot day…particularly on the roof. As Derek was cutting the sheet metal, sweat kept rolling down his forehead into his eyes. While he was cutting the flashing, he needed to clean his glasses. So Derek removed his glasses and sat them down while he finished the trim. Just a few seconds after resuming cutting, a piece of metal flew into his eye.

Henry saw Derek in pain and rushed over to his coworker. Henry helped Derek into the plant where they were met by the safety coordinator, who was a part of the plant’s emergency response team. They rushed Henry to the eyewash station, but were unable to flush out the piece of metal out of Derek’s eye. He was then taken to the local hospital where the embedded sliver of metal was removed.

Derek took the rest of the day off and was able to return to work the next day.

DISCUSSION NOTES

What should Derek have done differently?

What are the OSHA requirements for eye protection under this situation and were they being followed?

What will be the consequences for their roofing company and crew now that they violated the client’s PPE policy?

When working with metal, other than gloves and eye protection what other PPE are required by your company, the contractor on your current job, the customer you are servicing, as well as OSHA?

Are their circumstances that you remove your PPE temporarily and thereby place yourself at greater risk of injury?

George Rewset was the mechanic for a commercial roofing contractor. He had been made aware that there was faulty valve in the tank of the company’s truck used for transporting roofing tar. His plan was to empty the tar from the tank on Friday, allow the tank to cook over the weekend, and then enter the tank on Monday morning to repair the valve. At noon on Friday George drove the company’s tank truck to the tar supplier and had the tank pumped out. At that time the temperature of the tar was 550⁰. The tank was pumped down until the tar level was 38 inches below the access cover. He then returned the truck to the warehouse where it was parked indoors over the week-end with access hatch left open to allow it to cool.

On Monday morning George entered the tank through an 18 inch access port to repair a faulty valve located inside the tank. The partially cooled roofing asphalt could not support his weight and George became stuck up to his knee level. Since roofing asphalt becomes pliable in the temperature range of 180 – 200 degrees F, it is estimated that the internal temperature of the asphalt was in excess of that temperature.

A coworker heard George yell for help. Several attempts to pull him through the access port were unsuccessful. Eventually they cut a hole in the side of the tank and pulled George out. The rescue attempt required over 2½ hours during which George had lost consciousness. He was transported to a local hospital emergency room where he was pronounced dead at 1:30 pm.

DISCUSSION NOTES

Although it is rare that an employee employed by a commercial roofing contractor would ever enter a confined space, this unfortunate incident shows us that there may be circumstances that warrant entry into a confined space.

For employees in some industries, the topic of confined space entry and rescue is as commonplace as the topic of fall-protection is to you. But because it is not a common hazard addressed for roofers we should probably define what a “confined space” is. In layman’s terms, a confined space is an area that is not intended for continuous human occupancy and whose enclosed conditions and limited access can make it dangerous. Can you think of any confined spaces that you might be exposed to in the course of your job?

Even if you can’t think of any confined spaces that you might be exposed to, it is important to remember several things.

1. Confined spaces might include unseen hazards, such as an explosive, toxic, or otherwise hazardous atmosphere and therefore require special monitoring equipment that we don’t have.
   
2. Rescuing someone from a confined space often requires special equipment that we don’t have and entering a confined space to rescue someone often results in two fatalities.
   
3. Confined space entry involves significant employee training that we do not provide.
   

Never enter a confined space. If you suspect something is a confined space tell your supervisor immediately.

In this scenario, the company should have had the truck repaired by a business with the training, tools, and equipment to perform confined space entry properly.

Tom Johnson was the owner of a small roofing contractor that had been contracted to reroof a shingle roof on a single-story doctor’s office. When he arrived there was another employee waiting for him there. Both of the men began unloading Tom’s truck. One of the first things they grabbed was an extension ladder, which had been loaded onto the truck’s ladder rack on the last job while it was still partially extended.

In front of the doctor’s office there were overhead electrical power lines running parallel with the street, and above the parked pickup truck. The two men lifted the ladder, which was still extended, off the truck’s ladder rack. When the extended extension ladder was vertical it came in contact with a 7,620 volt energized overhead power line, electrocuting Tom and seriously shocking the other man.

A person driving by at the time saw the flash and stopped to see what had happened. When he got out of his car, he saw both of the men on the ground convulsing. He immediately called 911 and both men were transported to the hospital by ambulance. Tom was pronounced dead at the local hospital. The other man was then transported to a larger hospital by helicopter.

DISCUSSION NOTES

Although we don’t know for sure, it’s possible that the ladder would have not contacted the overhead wires if it had not been extended. Why do you think the ladder was placed on the truck while it was still extended?

In this incident, the employer had an aluminum ladder. If everything else would have been the same, except the ladder was fiberglass, it is likely that there would have been an entirely different outcome. When is it acceptable in our company to use aluminum extension ladders?

It is fairly commonplace to conduct inspections of jobsites to identify hazards. But how often do those inspections include an assessment of the area where the trucks are unloaded? Before beginning work at any jobsite, including unloading equipment from vehicles, someone should b e assigned the responsibility to evaluate the site to identify potential hazards. Is that done every day before we start work?

What do we do when we have overhead wires on our jobsites? Once all overhead power lines have been identified the area below the overhead power lines should be marked in some way. That area should not be used as a storage area for the construction equipment and materials or an area where equipment will be loaded and unloaded from vehicles.

Hosea Martinez had been a commercial roofer for 4 years when he accidentally stepped through a skylight and fell 13 feet onto a concrete surface.

Hosea’s crew was working on a single story, 80 x 60 feet metal roof with a 4:12 pitch. The roof had four skylights. These skyligfhts were flush with the roof and hard to distinguish from the rest of the roof. None of the skylights had been covered or protected, and none of the employees on the roof were wearing a personal fall arrest sysystem.

At the time of this incident, Hosea was tightening screws on the metal trim around an air conditioner unit. He was aware that the skylights were near, but he thought that the had already passed them. Unfortunately he was wrong, as he stepped backwards onto the edge of one of the skylights and fell through. Hosea fell approximately 13 feet onto the concrete surface below injuring his wrist, finger, hip, and several ribs.

One of his coworkers used his cell phone to call 911 and an ambulance arrived within a few minutes of the incident. Hosea was transported to the local hospital where he was treated, kept overnight for observation, and was released the next day.

After the incident the employer placed plywood over the broken skylight opening and required the employees on the roof to wear a fall arrest system for a remainder of the job.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

As a result of this incident, the employer is revising its procedures regarding the use of fall protection and the protection of skylights. What advise could you give them for their new procedures?

What should the role of the crew leader (or supervisor) be to prevent incidents such as this?

What could you do to prevent a similar incident from happening to one of your coworkers?

OSHA standards indicate that for work around skylights and roof and floor openings, employers should require, provide, and ensure the use of appropriate fall prevention systems that use one of the following:

• Covers or screens
  
• Railings or guardrails
  

Personal Fall Arrest Systems (PFAS), including a full-body harness, lanyard, connectors, and appropriate anchorage points (tie-offs).

Jim is a seasoned roofer and has been working with sheet metal and trim for 10 years. Jim and his coworker Dan were doing the gutters on a flat roof that their company had done recently re-roofed.

Jim and Dan started the day out like any. They put on their fall-arrest systems and put on their hardhats. They were both safety conscious workers. After working for an hour, Dan turned to his coworker and told him that he needed more nails for the job he was doing. So Jim got up; climbed down the ladder to; the truck; and got a large box of nails. However, instead of hoisting up the materials, Jim opted to carry the box of nails over one shoulder and climb up the ladder.

Jim was half way up the ladder when he lost his balance. His reflexes helped him grab the ladder before falling off of it. However the force of the shift caused the ladder to slide to one side causing the ladder and Jim to hit the ground.

Dan was watching from the roof. His coworker was conscious, but in a lot of pain. Using his cell phone Dan called 911 and then called the office to tell the company owner what had happened. Dan felt helpless, as he had to wait on paramedics to show up to get off of the roof.

Jim got out of the accident with a broken arm and some bruised ribs. He did however miss several weeks of work and had to deal with a great deal of pain. He was forced to wear a cast and now has a greater respect for the dangers of carrying supplies and ladders.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

Why did the ladder fall?

Was Jim able to maintain 3 points of contact while carrying supplies up the ladder?

Why do you think Jim did not use the hoist?

If the ladder had been tied off, could this accident have been prevented?

Why do you think the ladder was not tied-off?

Have any of you had a similar experience to Jim’s?

It was the first of August, and the weather temps were expected to reach near 98 degrees that day. Miguel, Harry, and Paul worked for a commercial roofing company and are on a deadline to finish a torch-down job within the week. The roof they were working on was 5 stories tall and it was the tallest building in the area, so the only shade on the roof was at the base of the air conditioning unit – and even that shade disappeared in the middle of the day. The humidity left from the previous day’s rain has managed to make it a steamy day for this trio. Paul was a “green-horn” and had not been working with Miguel and Harry too long. Miguel and Harry are accustomed to the heat and worked several years out in the elements. Over the years, they learned how to “beat the heat.”

What the new guy (Paul) lacked in experience, he tried to make up for in enthusiasm and hard work. On several occasions Harry cautioned Paul to slow down and drink some water, but Paul continued on with job. The heat produced from his torch only added to the near 98 degree and 100 plus heat index.

Miguel and Harry were working near and air conditioner unit and looked around for their coworker. They saw him on the other side of the rooftop on knees and vomiting. The green horn “lost his lunch” and is too weak to walk.

Harry and Miguel gave him some water and made him relax. After Paul was strong enough, they helped him down and carried him to the emergency room. At the ER, he was given fluids and sent home for the remainder of the day. Although Paul took a day off just to recover from the incident, he was able return to work and had no major injuries. The roofing crew did however lose half a day of work. The deadline that they were under was not met and Paul could have died had his heat exhaustion not been caught earlier.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

What type of liquids should a roofer consume while working and how much liquids should the average person consume under these conditions?

Will a person’s lunch or diet aide or harm him with battling the heat?

Should Paul have slowed down a little and taken more breaks?

Should the seasoned veterans have looked after the newbie more especially under the extreme heat conditions?

Could this job have done in the evening or even at night to escape the heat?

What other things could have been done to prevent this incident?

Do we have anyone on our crew that needs to pay more attention to heat injury prevention?

This Safety Talk tells about Jared, a roofing laborer who injured his shoulder while pulling the start cord on a power broom.

Jared had just finished his first year of college where he played on the football team. It was summer break and he got a summer job working for the same company that his father worked for, a commercial roofing contractor. Jared was a broad-shouldered, 20 year-old and was not afraid of hard work. In fact, he was hoping that the work he would be doing over the summer would help keep him in shape for football.

The day that Jared injured, his crew was on a re-roofing job. Jared’s supervisor told him to run the power broom. So he walked to where the power broom was, pushed the button to prime the carburetor a few times and pulled the start cord…. nothing. He pulled the start cord again… and again, but just couldn’t get it started. Finally the engine began to sputter and it started. However, on his final pull of the start cord Jared felt a pain in his shoulder. He shrugged-of the pain as something that was temporary and swept off the roof. He continued to go to work every day. But after a few days he was concerned enough that the pain in his shoulder had not gone away, that he decided to go to the doctor, where he was diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

We don’t know from this incident description how many times Jared had to pull the start cord for the power broom to start. But based on what we know, it sounds like it is time for the company’s power broom to have a tune-up. Maybe if it was operating properly Jared wouldn’t have had to make so many attempts to start it, and would not have injured his shoulder. What equipment do we have that is difficult to start?

Is there non-motorized equipment that we have that needs to be repaired or replaced?

Have any of you had similar situation at work (whether you got injured or not)?

Maybe because he was new to the company; or maybe because it is where his father worked, but Jared didn’t want to make waves by telling his supervisor about his shoulder on the day the injury happened. As it turned out, he reported the claim 3 days after it happened, which caused both his employer and the workers’ compensation insurance provider to question whether he was telling the truth. Don’t put yourself in that position. If you are injured on the job, tell your supervisor right away.

This Safety Talk tells about Fernando, a laborer on a roofing crew who fractured his wrist when he fell off of a ladder. Fernando has been working in the construction industry for less than 1 year and has been employed by a roofing contractor for only 2 weeks. His new employer is a commercial roofing contractor. This particular job involved re-roofing a single-story elementary school with a peel and stick roofing system.

On the day on Fernando’s injury, he was going to be the first one to get onto the roof. He placed an extension ladder against the side of the single-story building and began to climb. Once he got to the top, he was going to look for something to which he could tie-off the ladder. However while he was climbing, the ladders shifted and Fernando fell approximately 8 feet to the grass surface below, fracturing his right wrist.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

What could have Fernando done differently to make the initial ascent up the ladder less risky?

Let’s talk about these and other methods of securing ladders.

This Safety Talk tells about Ken, a roofing foreman who injured his back while attempting to fix a leak on flat roof.

Ken’s employer is a fairly large regional roofing contractor. They have 73 employees and specialize in commercial and industrial flat roofs. Ken was hired 3 years ago, and had very little roofing experience when he was hired. But Ken did have quite a bit of supervisory experience, good business sense and he wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. In fact you would often see Ken jumping-in and helping wherever there was a need.

On the day on Ken’s injury, his crew was working on a job that involved repairing several leaks on the flat roof of a school. One of the leaks was located and was underneath a rubber mat that had been glued to the roof. To fix the leak the rubber mat had to be removed.

To help, Ken attempted to remove the rubber mat by bending over at the waist, grabbing one edge of the mat, and pulling upward. Although Ken was a fairly large man, the mat was glued down really well and he had a difficult time pulling it up. When he finally got the mat detached from the roof, he stood up and felt a burning pain in his back. The pain was pretty bad. So Ken took it easy for the rest of the day. But by the end of the day, the pain started to radiate down his left leg from his hip and Ken knew that he did some real damage to his back.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

This incident summary does not provide much detail about the mat that Ken was trying to remove. It also does not let us know if there was an alternative method for removing it. However it does paint a mental picture of Ken’s posture as he was pulling on the mat. It says that he was “bending over at the waist, grabbing one edge of the mat and pulling upward.” What’s wrong with that posture?

What do you think would have happened if the mat detached from the roof suddenly and unexpectedly?

• It’s scary to think what would have happened if there was an unprotected skylight or short parapet wall directly behind him.
  

With the limited information we have about this incident, what would made this task safer?

• Is there some type of tool that he might have used to pry up the mat?
  
• What if he had asked for help in pulling-up the mat?
  

Have any of you had similar situation that didn’t result in an injury?

This Safety Talk tells about John, a 20 year veteran roofer who fell from a ladder and fractured his foot.

John’s employer has been in business for 20 years, and John was one of the first employees that the company hired. He was one of the company’s lead men and was normally very safety conscious.

On the day of John’s injury, he was working on a job with two other employees and was almost done. They had replaced a shingle roof on a sports medicine office and were drying it in. In fact John was standing on an extension ladder about 12 feet in the air and was putting in the last nail. After that, the crew could clean-up and go home for the day. But before he knew it, the ladder kicked-out from under him. He scrambled to drop his hammer and grab onto to something – anything. But instead John fell to the concrete surface below landing on his left foot. The force of a 225 lb man falling 12 feet shattered his heel bone.

His coworkers saw John fall and ran to help him immediately. The employees from inside the sports medicine office heard the commotion and ran out too. They made sure that John’s ankle was stabilized. Then his coworkers took John to the hospital.

Now John is a lot of pain, and for the next 6 weeks he has to wear a huge cast, and won’t be able do most of the things that he normally does (at work and at home).

DISCUSSION NOTES:

We know that John’s ladder was placed on a flat concrete surface. Why do you think the ladder kicked-out while John was on it?

Why is reaching and leaning to one side hazardous while standing on a ladder?

What is our company policy regarding tying-off ladders?

What are some circumstances that you don’t tie-off ladders when you really should?

What are some of your experiences?

• Have you fallen off of a ladder or had a ladder kick-out from underneath you before?
  
• If so, what do you do differently to prevent that from happening?
  

On August 11^th a laborer for a small commercial roofing contractor sustained a serious laceration to his head. The victim was the 18 year old son of the company owner. He was gaining experience as a laborer, but was new to the industry. It was his father’s plan to eventually turn the business over to him.

The victim is probably not well suited for the construction industry. According to his crew leader, he was a complainer and was not very fond of physical labor. Among other things, he often complained that wearing a hardhat was uncomfortable. He would say that it was too heavy and too hot. Although the crew leader would ride him when he didn’t have it on, he would often take his hard hat off when the crew leader was not looking.

The day of this incident was brutally hot. The crew started work at 5:00 a.m. and they were nearly done for the day when some debris from on top of the 2 story building fell off. That debris grazed the victim’s head as he was loading materials on the hoist. As you probably guessed the victim was not wearing his hard hat.

Although there were no witnesses to the incident, the crew leader heard the victim yell and came running. The object that struck the victim caused a laceration on the right rear of his head. The cut bled profusely. He was transported to the hospital, received 23 stitches and was released.

DISCUSSION NOTES

Often workers are reluctant to wear hard hats because of an expressed concern of the weight and discomfort of heat during warm weather. Considering the protection afforded, the weight theory is negligible. The average hard hat weighs 14 ounces.

Regarding the common complaint that hard hats are hot to wear, a test in temperature of 110 degrees showed that the inside temperature of a hard hats was 5 to 12 degrees less than the outside temperature. In other words, the reflective attribute and air space provided by wearing a hard hat keeps you cooler.

The brain is the control center of the body. The slightest damage to any part of the brain has the capacity to cause malfunctions of some area of the body. The skull, under normal circumstances, protects the brain. But when a possibility of injury from falling or flying objects exists, additional protection is required. This is the objective of the use of hard hats.

Johnny started in the roofing industry as soon as he got out of high school. He is a pretty smart guy and has been fairly successful. He has his own roofing and sheet metal company and has 20 employees. Many of his employees are friends that he has known for years. Their close relationship is probably the reason that they felt comfortable (if not obligated) to tease him on his 40^th birthday. During their lunch break, most of the guys took turns ribbing Johnny, saying that he is now “over-the hill.” But Johnny was in great shape. He ate right, wasn’t overweight, and he even ran a few miles a week to stay in shape.

After lunch, Johnny got on the company’s forklift and placed materials onto the roof. As he was getting off of the forklift he made a conscious (although stupid) decision to proving to himself that he was as fit as a 25 year old. He stood-up at the edge of the lift and jumped to the ground. When his feet hit the ground, Johnny felt a sharp pain in his left knee and heard a “pop.” He knew this wasn’t good. Limping to his truck, in his head he can hear the taunting of his friends and coworkers calling him an “old man.” He knew he was never going to live this down.

One of his employees took Johnny to the hospital where an MRI revealed that he had torn cartilage in his knee.

DISCUSSION

Always use the steps to get off of a piece of equipment. Never jump. It may seem like a short distance, but the cumulative damage to knees and ankles will eventually catch up with you.

Swinging down from a piece of equipment while holding on is no better. Always face the equipment getting off and hold on with both hands.

The company owner in this incident is not that different from you or me. All of us do stupid things occasionally that place expose us to injury. What have you done (or what have you seen others do) fall into that “stupid” category?

Make a commitment now to stop a coworker if you see him doing something stupid that exposes him to injury.

A 23 year old construction laborer sustained a severe ankle sprain that kept him off work for several weeks. His employer is a commercial roofing contractor specializing in flat roofs, and normally operates with 3 crews. This particular crew was reroofing a 4 story office building located across the street from the local hospital.

The day of the injury was a perfect spring day. It was sunny, but not hot, and there was absolutely no chance of rain.

The crew got onsite at 7:30 a.m., had a 20 minute safety talk and discussion, and then went up on the roof to begin work for the day. Three of the men began the task of transporting roofing materials from the roof hoist area to the center of the roof where they were to make repairs that day. The victim (a 23 year old employee with 2 years of roofing experience) grabbed an arm-full of roofing materials and headed for the center of the roof. Unfortunately after only a few steps, his ankle rolled and he fell to the ground in pain.

As he sat on the roof of the building, he quickly realized what had happened. The arm-full of materials he was carrying blocked his view of where he was walking, and someone (perhaps the HVAC contractor) had left a scrap piece of PVC pipe on the roof. He had stepped on that piece of scrap PVC pipe and sprained his ankle severely. Before he could get off the roof to be taken to the doctor, his ankle had already started to balloon and turn blue.

At least for that young construction laborer, that beautiful spring day didn’t turn-out so nice after all.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

What factors contributed to this incident?

Is there anything that we do intentionally and consistently to eliminate slip/trip hazards on jobsites? (If not ask for suggestions from the crew).

Note: If it is not suggested, recommend that the morning routine each day includes looking for slip/trip hazards (and eliminating them when possible).

The victim in this incident was wearing tennis shoes. What type of footwear do you think may have prevented this injury (or at least made it less severe)?

Note: If your company does not currently have a policy addressing footwear, consider requiring laced high-top work boots (except when working on a pitched roof in which the pitch exceeds 4:12, or when special roofing materials require different types of footwear).

The weather was overcast on the day of the incident and the forecast was calling for afternoon thunderstorms. Trying to get in a full day of work before the thunderstorms hit, the crew arrived at the site at 6:00 a.m. and started work. While taking their lunch break they could tell that it was going to rain soon and that their afternoon was shot. Knowing that they would get little accomplished before the rain hit if they went back on the roof, the crew leader told the crew to pack things up for the day. They would finish up the job tomorrow.

While carrying tools back to the truck, one of the employees saw the victim lying on the sidewalk beside the building, unconscious. He yelled for the crew leader who called 911. Before the ambulance arrived, the victim regained consciousness, and complained of a head and neck pain.

The crew leader went with him to the hospital while the rest of the crew packed-up and went home for the day.

The crew leader already knew that the claimant was in a hurry (trying to beat the rain), but didn’t know much else about how the incident happened. Upon talking with him after he was released from the emergency room, the crew leader learned that the victim used a stepladder to retrieve something from the edge of a one-story entrance overhang. He had set the stepladder up quickly and failed to lock the cross-braces before climbing. When he got to top and reached onto the roof, the stepladder collapsed and he fell 10 feet onto the concrete sidewalk, sustaining a concussion and a strained neck.

Although the victim returned to work just a few days later, he learned some valuable lessons about safety on the job.

Discussion Notes:

With as much work as we do with ladders, roofers should know ladder safety better than just about anyone. Obviously victim’s failure to lock the stepladder’s cross-braces contributed to the incident. What else could have contributed to it?

[Suggest these responses if not offered by your employees]

1. The victim was in a hurry.
   
2. He may have reached too far while standing on the stepladder.
   
3. He may have placed the ladder on an uneven surface.
   

What other safety rules are there relative to using stepladders?

[Suggest these responses if not offered by your employees]

1. Do not stand higher than the second step from the top of a stepladder.
   
2. Do not straddle the front and back of a stepladder.
   
3. Always inspect a ladder before using it
   
4. Never prop-up step ladders and use them as extension ladders.
   

A 41-year-old, construction laborer died from heat stroke after being taken to the hospital. The victim worked until 5:00 pm that day and was in the parking lot on his way to his vehicle when he apparently collapsed beside his vehicle. A worker on the second shift at a nearby factory was taking scrap material outside to a dumpster when he found the laborer on the ground. The factory worker returned to the plant and told his supervisor there was a man on the ground in the parking lot in needed an ambulance. After instructing the company receptionist to call EMS, the supervisor went to the parking lot to administer first-aid until EMS arrived. When they arrived, EMS recorded the laborer’s body temperature as 107^o F. He was transported to a local hospital where he died the next day with an internal body temperature of 108^o F. Death was listed by the coroner as heat stroke.

There was water available at the work site for the workers to drink. The laborers took their morning, lunch and afternoon breaks in the air-conditioned construction trailer on site. Additionally, workers were allowed to use the trailer to cool down if they felt over-heated during the work day. According to the coroner’s report, the temperature that day was 90^o F. Also, according to a local weather reporter, the dew point was a humid 69^o.

It was observed at lunch that the victim did not eat, but he did drink water. He was dressed in blue jeans, a tee-shirt and a long-sleeved heavy shirt.

DISCUSSION NOTES: Heat stroke occurs when the body’s ability to dissipate heat is impeded either due to disease or physical exertion. Signs of heat stroke are: the person stops sweating, becomes dizzy, confused and/or disoriented, rapid pulse rate, dizziness, nausea, headache, or a high body temperature of 103^o F. External temperatures over 82^o F increase the risk for heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Employers and employees should observe each other for signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Additionally, workers should be trained to know and understand company procedures for reporting a worker who is exhibiting symptoms of heat stress / stroke.

While working in heat, staying hydrated is important. Drinking the appropriate amount of fluids such as water and/or sports drinks that replace the body’s electrolytes helps the body maintain its appropriate temperature. It is suggested to match fluid loss from the body with fluid intake. Besides drinking plenty of fluids, employees should wear light colored clothing and fabrics that wick away moisture from the skin. Though, not a factor in this incident, when the weather is conducive to heat exhaustion / stroke, workers should also avoid consumption of alcohol and caffeine.

When high temperatures are predicted, employers should consider changing work hours to accommodate the weather. Instead of working in the heat of the day, work hours could be changed from 6:00 am to 2:30 pm, or at a time when heat and humidity exist at a lower level.

On August 11 a 53-year-old construction foreman died when he fell from the roof of a building under construction to a dirt floor 30 feet below. His employer was a sub-contracted to complete the roofing and sheet metal work on a building 850 feet long by 180 feet wide by 30 feet high. At the time of the incident the walls of the building had been completed and approximately one-fourth of the roofing panels had been installed.

The roofing panel supports consist of 5-inch-wide bar joists. These are positioned on 5-foot centers running the width of the building. Fiberglass insulation is placed on the bar joists and metal roofing panels cover this insulation.

The crew, consisting of 5 workers and the victim, had all been working on separate tasks prior to the incident. At approximately 11:30 a.m. the victim and a co-worker went to the roof to begin applying fiberglass insulation over the bar joists. The co-worker obtained a roll of fiberglass insulation 5 feet wide by 77 feet long. The co-worker rolled the insulation toward the victim, who was standing on the edge of the recently installed roofing panels. As the co-worker came within 10 feet of the victim, the victim stepped from the edge of the roofing panels out onto the 5-inch bar joist, lost his balance, and fell to the ground.

The co-worker ran to the contractor’s office (approximately 900 feet away) and called 911. The ambulance arrived in 12 minutes and provided basic life support. The victim was transported to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead in the emergency room.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

All too often employees fail to correct the foremen on a job when they see them disregarding safety rules, failing to wear personal protective equipment, or otherwise exposing themselves to hazards. The truth is that foremen, supervisors, and even company owners are no more immune to on the job injuries and death than the newest laborer on the job. If the coworker in this incident had had encouraged the foreman to wear his harness and lanyard, he might have put it on and lived to tell about the time he “almost” died.

Each employee of our company is not only permitted, but he is encouraged to correct foremen, supervisors and the company owner is you see us putting ourselves (or our crew) in danger. We have an obligation to keep you safe, and we recognize that part of that responsibility involves setting a good example.

As the foreman on this job, how have I failed to encourage safe behavior – either through what I have done; or through what I have failed to do?

In this issue of Safety Talk, you will learn of yet another roofer who died when he fell from a roof. His employer had been sub-contracted to install felt paper and asbestos shingles to the roof of a newly constructed six-unit condominium complex. The roof had a 6:12 pitch and was 120 feet long and 26 feet wide. On the day of the incident (the first day of work on that job), the crew arrived at the site at 8:00 a.m. The crew consisted of the owner, his son, the victim, and one other worker (hereinafter referred to as the “co-worker”). All were carpenters experienced in roofing and siding work. Standard operating procedure called for the owner to inspect the roof of a new structure to see if it was properly prepared before his crew accessed the roof. However, on the day of this incident, the entire crew climbed the ladders to the roof when they got onsite. Since the roof was wet from dew, the owner instructed the crew to sit on the bundles of shingles placed on the roof by the contractor and wait until the roof dried. The crew’s safety equipment and tools were still in the owner’s truck.

At 8:45 a.m. the owner felt that the roof had dried sufficiently and told the crew that he was going to inspect the roof. The owner and his son were on one side of the roof; the victim and the co-worker were on the opposite side. Both pairs of men, who were near the ridge of the roof, began to walk toward the opposite end of the structure. As the victim stepped around a bundle of shingles on the ridge of the roof, he fell to his hip and began to roll to the edge of the roof. The co-worker stepped toward him to grab him but when he grabbed for him he missed. The victim rolled off the roof and fell to the packed dirt surface below.

A worker on the ground immediately called 911. The owner went to the road to show the rescue squad the way to the scene. The fire department arrived within 5 minutes. As the owner was telling the fire department personnel where the injured worker was, a worker yelled that the victim had stopped breathing. A member of the fire department crew administered CPR and the victim began breathing on his own again. The ambulance arrived and transported him to the local hospital. The victim was later transferred to different hospital with a shock-trauma unit. However, several days later he was pronounced brain-dead. After several more days, the life-support systems were removed, and he died the following morning.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

The company’s standard procedure was for the owner to inspect the worksite prior to allowing the crew to access the roof. That practice limits the crew’s exposure to fall hazards. In this instance, the crew did not follow the standard operating procedure, and climbed onto the roof before the owner inspected it. Additionally, all of the safety equipment was left in the owner’s truck. The owner unnecessarily exposed the crew to the fall hazard by permitting them to wait on the roof prior to and during roof inspection. 

Although we normally think of the hazards we face while performing our work. What hazards are we exposed to on jobs before we ever get started working?

A painting contractor had been contracted by a large manufacturer to sandblast and paint several air conditioning units on the roof of a 35-foot-high manufacturing plant. The roof was flat and parapet walls 2-foot-high and 8-inch-wide around the perimeter of the roof.

Electrical power to the building was provided by a three-phase, 4160-volt service line, which was anchored 5 feet above the roof surface to two galvanized pipes, located 2 feet apart on the top of the roof, and 2 feet in from the edge of the roof. The power lines and anchorage were guarded on all sides (except the roof edge) by a 6-foot-high chain link fence forming an 8-foot by 20-foot enclosure. The fence has a locked access gate and a 10-inch by 12-inch sign on the gate which states “DANGER – HIGH VOLTAGE – KEEP OUT.”

Noting that the victim was hot and that it was nearly lunch-time, his coworker told him to sit down and “cool off” (due to the heat of the day) while he finished the task that they had been working on. Five minutes later, he finished the task turned around to look for the victim. It was at that point that he saw the victim inside the power service enclosure. The victim’s legs were wrapped around one of the anchor poles with his back arched over the edge of the parapet wall.

Two days prior, the employer was at the site, discussing the job with the two workers. During that time he cautioned them to stay away from the edge of the roof and not to enter the power service enclosure.

Immediately he ran to the roof access door and yelled for someone to call 911. He then went back and entered the fenced-in enclosure by climbing around the end of the fence on top of the parapet wall. He pulled the victim away from the anchor pole into the middle of the enclosure and began administering CPR. He was assisted by a plant employee who arrived at the scene within a few minutes of the incident. The ambulance arrived approximately 15 minutes after the 911 cal was made. Efforts by the EMS crew to resuscitate the victim were unsuccessful, and the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

There were no eyewitnesses to the incident. However, evidence indicates that the victim for unknown reasons entered the enclosure either by climbing over the fence or by walking around on the parapet wall. Presumably the victim sat down on the roof under the power line, and contacted one of the energized power line conductors with his left hand. The victim’s body provided a path to ground for the current and the victim was electrocuted. The medical examiner’s report indicated deep thermal burns on the victim’s right hand and the inside of his right thigh.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

We will never know why the victim in this incident decided to enter the fenced-in enclosure despite the obvious barriers and warnings. However it is safe to assume that he underestimated the hazard of the electrical service lines. Can you think of occasions that you have worked close to electrical service lines on a roof? If so, what was done to protect you from getting too close?

A 46-year-old male carpenter died after falling 16 feet from a roof onto a concrete porch floor. He was a member of a five-man (a foreman and four carpenters). On that particular day, the crew was laying roofing felt on a 5:12-pitched gable roof of a newly-constructed, prefabricated church building. The roof was 48 feet wide by 106 feet long. The crew had finished applying the felt to half of the roof, and was applying the eighth course to the second half of the roof when the incident occurred.

The victim was walking backward on the roof unrolling the felt. Approximately 8 feet in front of the victim, a second crew member was temporarily nailing down the felt. A short distance behind the second crew member, the two additional crew members were permanently nailing the felt to the roof sheeting. The foreman was on the roof watching the crew.

The men were only unrolling 8 feet of felt at a time because it was a windy day, with gusts up to 25 miles per hour. As the men approached the end of the roof, the foreman was called to the ground to discuss the color of the shingles with the church preacher. The worker temporarily affixing the shingles looked up to see the victim approaching the edge of the roof and yelled for him to “WATCH OUT!!!” But the warning came too late. The victim lost his balance and fell backward off the roof. He fell approximately 6 feet, struck a cross-brace on the framework of the church’s porch, and then fell another 10 feet, striking his head on the concrete floor of the porch.

The crew members left the roof and ran to the victim, finding him unresponsive, bleeding from the nose and ears. One of the workers ran inside the church and the preacher call 911. They were instructed by the 911 operator to perform CPR, which they did. However, when EMS arrived, they could not detect any vital signs, and called for the county coroner, who pronounced the victim dead at the site

DISCUSSION NOTES:

Why do you think that none of the employees on the roof that day were wearing a personal fall arrest system?

Can you think of some circumstances that one of us (or maybe even all of us) have not used a harness and lanyard when we should have?

The victim’s coworker yelled, “WATCH OUT!!!” right before his buddy fell to his death. Unfortunately, his warning came too late. If only someone had said something sooner, he might have lived to see his son graduate from high school. The time to warn your coworkers that they may fall and die is when you see them on a roof without adequate fall protection. Let’s all work on doing better at watching out for one another.

On December 20^th a 26-year-old male sheet metal mechanic died as a result of injuries that occurred when he was knocked through a roof opening and fell 22 feet to a concrete floor below. His employer was contracted to fabricate and install a sheet metal cap over an opening on the flat roof of a large fiberglass manufacturing plant. The 50-inch-square opening was created when an air conditioning duct was removed. The 54-inch-square cap was fabricated from galvanized steel with angle-iron reinforcement and weighed approximately 75 pounds.

On the day of the incident the victim and a co-worker were preparing to install the cap. The victim and the co-worker leaned the cap against a metal frame that had been previously used to support the air conditioning unit. The frame was located approximately 34 inches from the roof opening.

The victim positioned himself between the leaning cap and the roof opening, while his co-worker positioned himself on the other side of the opening. Neither worker was wearing any type of fall protection equipment. The co-worker was kneeling and the victim was stooped over applying caulking to the 6-inch raised curb bordering the opening. A gust of wind blew the cap over, which struck the victim; causing him to fall headfirst through the roof opening, to a concrete floor 22 feet below.

Workers inside the plant saw the victim fall and immediately summoned help from personnel within the plant. A plant nurse arrived within 3 minutes and initiated. When the 911 call was made, a local doctor heard the radio dispatch and responded to the scene. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

Incidents like this are often this are often dismissed as “freak accidents.” But the reality is that the sequence of events that lead to this fall were predictable. What hazards should have been foreseen in this particular incident?

What products do you work with on rooftops that can be expected to be blown by wind gusts if not properly positions or secured?

Working that close to an unprotected roof opening warrants the use of fall protection. Why do you think that both employees chose not to put on a harness and lanyard and connect to an anchorage point?

This particular company had no written safety rules and very minimal safety training. If you were in-charge of safety for this company, what would you do to prevent similar incidents in the future?

On February 23^rd the 29-year-old president of a roofing company died when he exited a man-lift, and fell approximately 52 feet from the edge of a roof to a concrete entryway at ground level. His company was working on a renovation project at a local high school. His company was the roofing subcontractor on the job and was awarded the job only after the roofer who had begun the job had gone out of business.

To provide access to the roof (which was 52 feet above ground level), the general contractor mounted a platform on a 60-foot, articulating hydraulic lift. Guardrails around the perimeter of the platform provided fall protection while workers were being lifted and lowered. When the platform was raised in place, access to the roof was provided by a gate on the side of the platform. Hydraulic lift controls were on the platform side opposite the gate. The lift boom was sufficiently long to extend the platform over the edge of the roof, so that workers could easily step down onto the roof (or up onto the platform from the roof).

On several occasions, workers for both sub-contractors complained to the general contractor about the jerking motion of the lift.

At the time of the incident, the new sub-contractor had finished installing the roofing materials and was ready to install the ridge cap at the top of the roof. The victim and two co-workers rode the lift to the edge of the roof. One co-worker opened the gate and stepped onto the roof. As the victim began to follow, he instructed the remaining co-worker, who was operating the lift, to lower the platform. As the co-worker activated the lift controls, the platform jerked and the victim fell from the roof. It is not known whether the platform struck the victim or if the victim was still grasping the gate when the platform jerked.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

The victim’s employees as well as the employees of other sub-contractors had complained to the general contractor about the jerking motion of the lift. Although the equipment had not been repaired, the victim chose to use it in order to complete the job. If the equipment had been repaired, this incident may not have occurred. What equipment have you used in the past even though you knew it was not functioning properly?

The general contractor allowed several sub-contractor employees to operate the equipment as needed. It is not known if the general contractor assessed the qualifications of these individuals as operators. However, the general contractor may have been more responsive about repairing the equipment had a qualified operator complained of the problems. Are you aware of circumstances in which employees are permitted to operate equipment which they may not be qualified to operate?

On November 16^th a 41-year-old roofer died when he fell from roof framing to a concrete floor 22 feet below. The victim was employed by a roofing company which employs 45 people. The victim had worked for the employer for 2 years prior to the incident and had approximately 20 years experience as a roofer. The employer has a written safety program, tailgate safety meetings are conducted, and employees are provided with safety-related literature. In addition, safety programs on videotape are presented to employees on days when weather or other conditions make working on the roof impossible.

On the day of the incident, the victim was working with a co-worker to install roof decking panels on a new building. Four other workers were installing the overlying roofing material on another area of the roof.

The decking panels being installed by the victim were composed of wood fiber and portland cement. Each panel was 32 inches wide by 8 feet long by 2 inches thick and weighed 80 pounds. A tongue-and-groove system on the 32-inch ends permitted the interlocking of adjacent panels. Framing material consisted of 4-inch ” I ” beams on 5-foot centers, with 1 7/8-inch-wide inverted “T”-shaped purlins, 32 inches apart, forming the support for the decking panels.

At the time of the incident, the victim was standing with one foot on a panel which had already been installed and his other foot on one of the 1 7/8-inch purlins. He was pushing on one end of an 8-foot panel to force the tongue to engage the groove on the adjacent panel. His co-worker was at the far end of the panel guiding it into the groove. According to the co-worker’s statement, the panel suddenly dropped into place, and this action may have caused the victim to lose his balance. The co-worker looked up and saw the victim fall through a gap in the framing. The victim fell approximately 22 feet to a concrete floor and experienced multiple injuries to the head and chest. A supervisor standing on the floor below saw the worker falling. No fall-arrest devices such as safety harness, lanyards, or safety nets were present.

Emergency medical service (EMS) personnel were immediately called and were on the scene in approximately 2 minutes. The victim was treated at the scene and enroute to the hospital, but was pronounced dead at the hospital 1 hour and 6 minutes after the incident occurred.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

The use of a safety harness/lanyard combination is sometimes not practical during construction operations. However, alternative forms of protection, such as the safety nets should be considered. Safety nets can be equally effective in preventing injury or death when a worker falls. The use of safety nets below the workers may have prevented the fatality described above.

What situations can you think of in which safety nets would provide protection when a safety harness/lanyard combination would not be feasible?

On March 13^th a 28-year-old roofer’s helper died when he fell through a three-foot square opening in a roof and struck the concrete floor below. His employer was a roofing contractor who had been in business for 16 years. The company employed 15 workers, 11 of whom are roofer’s helpers.

The victim had been working for the employer 3 weeks. On the day of the incident a roofer’s helper (the victim) and ten other workers were in the process of removing the old roofing material from a one story, flat-roof building. The building was previously used as a retail establishment and was now being converted to an educational facility. As part of the conversion process, all of the old equipment that was installed on the roof had to be removed. After the equipment was removed by another subcontractor, a piece of plywood was placed over the holes. There were thirty holes left in the roof. They ranged in size from six feet by twelve feet to smaller ones averaging about three feet square.

The roofing material had been detached from the roof’s surface. The material was then thrown over the side or swept down one of the holes. The victim was working on a part of the roof that was away from the edge. He was going to push material down through a hole. The victim lifted up the plywood covering one of the smaller holes and pushed the plywood forward with both hands. When he did, he took one step forward and fell through the hole striking the concrete floor 16 feet below.

One of his coworkers called 911 and CPR was performed at the scene by EMS personnel. EMS then transported the victim to the local hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. .

DISCUSSION NOTES:

This company is fairly active in promoting safety. They have an employee safety manual which includes safety rules. Safety meetings (“tailgate talks”) are conducted 2-3 times per week. Monthly training is sometimes conducted in a classroom setting. Furthermore, task-specific training is conducted at the job site when necessary. However, the company’s safety rules do not address the specific task the victim was performing; and since the victim had prior work experience as a roofer’s helper task-specific training was not conducted.

If you were in-charge of that company’s safety program, what would you change?

Prior to removing covers over holes, workers should be connected to a fall arrest system. In this case the victim was able to pick up and remove a cover in one continuous motion. The victim’s forward momentum, along with the possibility that he thought there was a surface under his foot, may be the reason he continued to step forward. Also, the victim may have been looking where he was pushing the cover, rather than to where his feet were being placed.

What else could have been done to prevent this incident?

Can you recall any similar hazards on jobsites that you have been on?

On August 18^th a 36 year-old male roofer died after falling 30 feet from a ladder when the metal pole of a mop he was holding contacted a power line. The company was a small construction contractor that specialized in roofing and sheet metal work. The company employed five workers (including the owner) and had been in business since 1956. The victim was a 36 year-old male roofer who was often considered the crew leader at the job sites when the owner was not present. 

The company had been contracted to install a new roof on a three story row house located in an urban area. The house was located near the center of a group of seven connected row houses and was accessible by the street on one side and a parking lot on the other side. A series of 3,600 volt overhead power lines ran along the street parallel to the building, the nearest of which was approximately 24 to 30 inches away from the building and four to five feet above the edge of the roof. The job, which required laying three layers of tarpaper coated with melted hot asphalt to the flat roof, was anticipated to take five to six hours to complete.

The weather was overcast on the day of the incident. The crew arrived at the site at about 8:30 a.m. and started work. Placing their equipment on the street side of the building, they positioned a 40 foot, two section extension ladder about seven feet away from the building. The ladder was equipped with a pulley wheel near the top rung which allowed them to hoist materials to the roof top with a rope. The crew spent the morning hoisting tarpaper and other materials to the roof until 10 a.m. when the company owner arrived with coffee for their coffee break. The owner looked over the job and then left the site.

After the break, the victim climbed the ladder while holding a roofing mop with a new, heavy nylon mophead attached to a six foot long aluminum pole. As the victim finished climbing the ladder and was moving onto the roof, the handle of the mop contacted the nearby 3,600 volt primary power line. A co-worker on the roof described seeing him shake for a few moments before he fell backwards off the ladder, falling 30 feet to a patch of hard ground below. A passing motorist saw the victim and called 911, and police and ambulance units were sent the scene. The victim was taken to the hospital where he died of his injuries the next day.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

In this case the workers set up the ladder near the power lines, apparently unaware that there was a safer point of access on the opposite side of the building. Obviously the location of power lines is one key consideration when determining where to set your ladder. What are some other hazards that influence where ladders should be placed?

In this incident the victim was carrying the heavy mop up the ladder instead of using the hoist line. What hazards did this create?

On November 8^th a 31-year-old journeyman roofer fell 25-feet through a section of a flat pitch roof. The company had contracted to tear-off and replace the roofing materials on the roof. They had also been contracted to identify, remove, and replace weakened sections of the structural decking. The employer had been in business for 16 years, and employed 25 persons, of which 20 were journeyman roofers. The company had been at the incident site for five days prior to the incident and the victim had worked at the site for three days.

At the time of the incident the workers were in the process of tearing off and replacing roofing material on a flat pitch roof. The workers also were identifying bad and weakened sections of structural decking by visually identifying them from inside the building, taking measurements as to their position and transferring those measurements to the roof and marking the appropriate sections for replacement. The bad sections of roof were marked with spray paint and the workers were instructed not the walk on the marked sections. The replacement sections are two feet wide and up to eight feet long. They are cut to fit when replaced.

On the day of the incident the workers were continuing tearing off the roofing material and replacing the identified bad decking. At approximately 11:00 a.m. the victim and another worker were walking on the roof and were near an identified bad section of decking when the worker fell though the decking to a concrete floor below. The job foreman was first to the victim and requested a co-worker call 911 for emergency assistance. Emergency crews arrived and transported the victim to a local trauma center where he was treated for severe head trauma. The victims condition deteriorated and he was pronounced deceased two days later.

According to the employer there were no indications that the section of decking the worker fell through was weak or bad.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

Employers should identify bad and weakened sections by not only visually identifying the weakened sections of decking but should also by physically testing sections that are in close proximity to weakened sections.

Let’s discuss how to identify weak or bad of sections and roof both physically and through physical testing.

On November 30^th a 35-year-old journeyman roofer fell 12 feet from a fiberglass extension ladder. The banks roofing material had been replaced during the week prior to the incident. The victim and a co-worker were assigned the task of installing some flashing and cleaning up the job-site. The workers arrived on site right after lunch. The workers had one properly constructed 40-foot extension ladder and decided to separate it into two halves so that the victim could access a small section of roof over an employee entrance. The workers blocked off a lane at the drive-in banking area located at the side of the building. The workers then set the lower portion of the extension ladder with the proper slip-resistant feet against the roof over the drive-through lanes. The upper section (extension portion) of ladder was moved by the victim to a roof over the employee entrance. The victim completed the task on this roof, and then returned the ladder to the drive-in banking area, positioning the extension portion of the ladder against the roof and directly beside the ladders mate.

Though not witnessed, the following incident description was captured on the bank surveillance video. The victim then retrieved some nails or tools and a large bristled broom, and then proceeded to climb the extension portion of the ladder. When the victim was nearing the roof line the bottom of the ladder slid outward and the victim and ladder fell to the ground. The broom, being carried bristles down, struck the pavement first and then the victims head struck the end of the broom stick. A bank employee heard the ladder fall and looked out the window to the see that the victim had fallen and was on the ground. Emergency assistance was requested through a call to 911. The victim was semi-conscious when the emergency assistance arrived to treat and transport him to a local hospital for treatment. The victim was then taken by helicopter a short time later to a regional trauma center where he died the next day.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

All commercial-grade extension ladders have the markings on the ladder that read, “CAUTION-THIS LADDER SECTION IS NOT DESIGNED FOR SEPARATE USE.” Alternatively commercial extension ladders may have permanently attached stops to prevent removal of the extension section. The upper sections of extension ladders are rarely equipped with safety feet and are not intended to be used as single ladders. Using a section of an extension ladder in this manner creates potential hazards that can result in serious injuries or death as we see in this incident.

What additional hazards were present based upon the description of this incident?

What are some good ways to secure ladders to prevent them from moving while in use?

Discuss the use of ladders and how items (such as brooms and tools) should be taken to/from the roof.

A 21 year old male carpentry/roofing foreman died from injuries sustained in a 26 foot fall through a roof opening at a 120,000 square foot building under construction. The victim was a 21 year old male employed by the company for 6½ years. He had been performing this specific type of roofing work for 2 years. The final 12 months of his employment were as job foreman. He was also the designated safety person.

On the day of the fatality, the employer had been under contract to apply a finished roofing membrane on a flat 120,000 square foot building under construction. Application of this roofing membrane included the flashing and sealing of 132 skylight openings and 19 HVAC unit openings which were cut into the exposed steel decking of the rooftop. The roofing membrane and flashing/sealing of rooftop openings were to act as the building’s weather barrier against the elements.

While each of the 132 skylight openings were equipped with a 3/4 inch steel reinforcement rod mesh system for future building security, the 6 foot by 12 foot HVAC openings were not. The building plans called for rooftop HVAC openings to be cut into the steel roof decking.

The purpose of openings in the roof decking was to weld a 6 foot by 12 foot by 14 inch high steel HVAC system support curb directly to the building’s structural steel. Once the support curbing units were welded in place, aluminum flashing, tar paper and an asphalt encapsulant were used to create the weather tight seal around each support curb. At a later date, the HVAC systems would be lowered onto the support curbs by crane and be fastened in place.

At the time of the incident, the victim and his employer were jointly working at a curbsite. When the victim stood up to maneuver around a corner of the curb, the employer claimed he appeared to be startled by his proximity to the roof opening. He then tripped over the curb and fell through the opening 26 feet to the concrete floor of the building. Within 3 to 4 minutes of the incident a fellow worker administered CPR until emergency medical services arrived at the site. The victim was then transported to the regional hospital where he died the following morning. 

DISCUSSION NOTES:

There were 151 rooftop openings on this construction site. Of these, 132 skylight openings had been equipped with concrete reinforcement rod style burglar bars which would not only prevent future unauthorized entry into the building, but prevented personnel from falling through the openings during construction. The remaining 19 HVAC system roof openings remained fully exposed. Although the employer in this incident claimed to have fundamental knowledge their unwritten policy only called for the use fall protection devices and/or personal protective equipment when within five feet of roof perimeters. Consequently, no such protection was provided for when close to the unprotected HVAC roof openings

What should have been done differently?

On May 26 the construction crew of a small roofing contractor met and began the day’s work at approximately 7:00 a.m. It was a clear sunny day. A total of six roof workers were present on the jobsite that morning. The roofing materials had been laid out for the morning work. Early in the work day, the victim began walking across the roof section that was already in place. He was walking toward the foreman who was on a lift. According to the foreman, the victim was concerned that the materials had not been laid out properly. As the co-workers began putting the 50 foot sections of insulation in place, the victim walked out on a metal panel that had not been secured. As he stepped on it, the metal panel slid, causing the victim to fall to the gravel floor approximately thirty feet below.

One of the coworkers immediately used his cell phone to call 911. The ambulance arrived on-scene quickly and found the victim unconscious, but breathing. However, later the victim went into cardiac arrest. Medical personnel were able to restore a weak pulse and transported the victim to the nearest medical facility where he was pronounced dead.

The medical examiner’s report listed the immediate cause of death as blunt trauma to the head, neck, and chest.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

There were a number of things that went wrong on this job that contributed to this fatal incident. What were they?

The victim walked onto a metal panel that was not secured in-place. Under what circumstances it is acceptable for a panel to be left unattached on a roof? Can you think of any situation in which it is unavoidable to have a roof panel that is unsecured? What could have been done differently to prevent an employee from stepping onto an unattached panel?

Certainly the fact that the victim was not wearing a fall arrest devise contributed to this incident. Why do you think he was not wearing a fall arrest devise?

Since he was walking towards his supervisor, it is safe to assume that his supervisor was aware that the victim was not wearing a fall arrest devise. With that in mind, do you think the incident can be partially attributable to the supervisor’s failure to enforce the use of ppe?

Ask your crew to share their experiences. Have any of them been in a similar situation?

A 34 year old roofing contractor had his left pinky finger surgically amputated as a result of improper care of cut. He had only been working for his current employer for 2 weeks when he cut his left pinky at work. Not wanting to look like a sissy in front of his new coworkers, he stopped the bleeding but kept working. Four days later he was in the local emergency room with a 103 degree fever, chills and feeling extremely drained. In a mere four days his finger started turning purple, the skin started coming off and there was an extreme amount of puss oozing from the cut. The diagnosis was an antibiotic-resistant staph infection that warranted the immediate surgical amputation of his finger.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

Have you ever had a small cut or scrape at work, but kept working without treating it properly? If so why did you decide not to clean it and bandage it right away?

As an employee of this company we want you to get the proper treatment right away, and limit the potential for infection.

Although any wound can become infected, infection is particularly likely in deep scrapes, which grind dirt into the skin, and in puncture wounds, which introduce contamination deep under the skin. Also, wounds that contain foreign material almost always become infected. The key to preventing infection is proper first-aid. The first step in treating a cut is to stop the bleeding. However, that alone is not enough. To prevent infection, dirt and particles must be removed and the wound must be washed. Large, visible particles can be picked off. However, smaller dirt and particles that cannot be seen can be removed by washing with mild soap and tap water. Dirt and particles that remain after washing often can be removed with a more highly pressured stream of warm tap water. After cleaning, antibiotic ointment and a bandage should be applied.

Medical assistance should be sought under the following circumstances:

• If a cut is longer than about 1/3 inch, appears deep, or has edges that separate
  
• If bleeding does not stop on its own or within several minutes after pressure is applied
  
• If there are symptoms of a nerve or tendon injury, such as loss of movement, or numbness
  
• If a scrape is deep or has dirt and particles that are difficult to remove
  
• If there is a puncture wound, particularly if foreign material in the wound is likely
  
• If you have not had a tetanus vaccination within the past 5 years.
  

All wounds, whether treated at work, home or by health care practitioners, should be observed for symptoms of infection during the first several days after treatment. If any symptoms of infection develop, medical assistance should be sought within several hours.

A 51-year-old male roofer fell through a skylight 30 feet to the concrete floor below. The employer had been subcontracted to replace the roofing on a bottling plant. The prime contractor was installing insulation below the roof while the subcontractor was to remove the tar and gravel built-up roof and replace it with a new rubber membrane.

At the time of this incident, the victim and fellow employees were removing the gravel from the roof top. The roof had 15 rectangular smoke-dome-type, curb-mounted skylights (42 inches by 80 inches). As the victim was moving a full wheelbarrow of gravel toward a trash chute, he stopped and set the wheelbarrow next to a skylight and went over to talk to the foreman. When he returned to the wheelbarrow, he fell through the skylight 30 feet to the floor below. None of the workers on the roof saw him fall, but they heard him scream as he fell through the skylight. Workers within the bottling plant saw the victim fall feet first and strike a 3-foot-high pallet of bottles, which caused his body to flip and his head to hit the concrete floor.

A bottling plant employee called 911 and an ambulance arrived within a few minutes of the incident. When the medical technicians arrived at the scene, the victim was not breathing and had no vital signs. He was transported to the local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

After the incident the employer removed all of the skylights and secured plywood over the openings. The skylights were reinstalled when the work on the roof was completed.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

Although the background information does not indicate if the victim had prior roofing experience, he had only been working for this employer for 90 days when this incident occurred. It is likely that individuals new to the roofing industry may not fully recognize or appreciate the serious fall hazards associated with working near skylights. What specific precautions or warnings should be stressed to new employees?

If our company had been the subcontractor on this job, what precautions would we have taken before starting work to prevent a similar incident?

OSHA standards indicate that for work around skylights and roof and floor openings, employers should require, provide, and ensure the use of appropriate fall prevention systems that use one of the following:

• Covers or screens
  
• Railings or guardrails 
  

Personal Fall Arrest Systems (PFAS), including a full-body harness, lanyard, connectors, and appropriate anchorage points (tie-offs).

A 24 year old roofer received a serious burn when hot tar spilled on his forearm. His employer was a commercial roofing contractor and was charged with applying a built-up roof on an 8 story office building. Although the victim had not worked for a roofing contractor previously, he had been working for this employer for over a year and had been on at least 5 other roofing jobs in which hot tar was applied.

Although the roof was flat there were two different levels. On the day of the incident, the victim was filling buckets of hot tar for the job while standing on the lower roof level; and was handing filled buckets approximately 6 feet up to the next level. On one occasion, he reached to retrieve a bucket from the higher roof level and attempted to lower it. He believed that the bucket was empty, but instead it was full of hot tar. As he attempted to lower the bucket, it tipped and spilled hot tar onto his arm.

The company foreman called an ambulance which transported the victim to a regional specialized burn care center where he was treated and released the same day. The total surface area of the burn was not very large but it was very deep. The burn required his return to the burn center for skin grafts at which time he was hospitalized for 4 days.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

The foreman on this job allowed the job to be set-up in an unsafe manner. He should have never allowed anyone lift hot tar above his head. If the hot tar must be raised in buckets, a hoist and line that is adequate for the load should be used. And in those situations, no employee should be allowed to stand below the bucket that is being hoisted.

Can you ever remember working on a job that required buckets of tar to be lifted up to another level? Do you know our company policy regarding this practice?

Although the incident description did not suggest that the bucket was filled too full, filling buckets too full with hot tar makes them more prone to spilling. Keep the hot tar inside of a bucket at a safe level for hoisting or carrying. Never fill a hot tar bucket more than three-fourths full.

The incident description did not reveal what personal protective equipment (ppe) the employee was wearing. Do you know our company requirements for ppe when filling or carrying hot tar in buckets? At a minimum, wear leather or heat-resistant gloves, long pants without cuffs, long sleeved cotton shirts, non-skid shoes and safety glasses with side shields or goggles when working with hot tar.

Keep a supply or source of cool water available on the roof. Quickly immersing a burn or running cool water over it can reduce the severity of the burn and ease the victim’s pain. However, wait for a medical professional’s advice on removing tar from burned skin. If the tar is removed incorrectly, it may make the burn injury more severe.

There were a total of 19 claims submitted during the fourth quarter of 2008.

• Slips, Trips & Falls (6 claims) initial incurred value $397,313
• Strains (4 claims) initial incurred value $99,926
• Miscellaneous (6 claims) initial incurred value $4,698
• Auto Accident (1 claim) initial incurred value $500
• Cuts (1 claim) initial incurred value $500
• Debris in eye (1 claim) initial incurred value $500

The following were the largest claims that occurred during the fourth quarter of 2008.

An employee was on a residential roofing job when the ladder slipped and he and the ladder fell 20-25′.

An employee stepped backwards from one level to another and fell, suffering a rotator cuff injury that required surgery

An employee tripped over a switch box for a metal folding machine and fell into the machine where the folder came down and crushed his arm.

An employee was carrying a heavy bucket in each hand across a ballast roof and his foot slipped on the ballast and he lost his balance, suffering a hernia that required surgery.

In the course of tearing off an old roof a portion of the roof collapsed causing the employee to fall through.

As an employee was stepping off of a ladder on the roof he stepped onto a soft spot causing him to injure his ankle.

Materials were being unloaded via crane with employees around sides of load when the load shifted causing an employee to sustain a back strain.

As an employee was coming down a stationary ladder on a building he slipped suffering injury to his heel, leg, and knee requiring surgery.

A 34 year old male roofer died after falling approximately 30 feet from a flat roof to the concrete sidewalk.

The victim was working for a roofing contractor that had been in the roofing business for more than 5 years. He had been employed as a roofer on a part-time basis for approximately two years and typically worked only two days a week as a roofer.

At the time of this incident he was working with a co-worker installing 4 x 8 sheets of insulation material on the deck of a flat roof. They were working near the front edge of the 2½ story apartment building. With his back to the unguarded edge of the roof, the victim was placing the edge of the sheet of insulation against the end of a sheet previously placed on the roof. Not realizing that he was close the unguarded edge of the roof, he stepped backwards and fell approximately 30 feet to the concrete sidewalk below. His co-worker did not witness the fall.

When his co-worker realized what had happened, he called 911. The ambulance arrived within 5 minutes of receiving the call. Upon their arrival the victim was unconscious, in respiratory arrest and was bleeding from the ears, eyes, nose and mouth. The victim’s head, neck and back were immobilized and he was transported to the hospital. CPR was provided en route to the hospital, but he was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

It is not clear from the available information about this incident if the employer had any policies in-place relative to fall prevention. If this had been our company, what fall protection measures would have been in-place?

There were only two employees on the jobsite. It is quite possible that the limited number of employees may have contributed to this incident. How well do you adhere to company safety policies when you are on a small job and there are only 2 or 3 employees on the jobsite? Does it depend upon who you are working with? Why do many employees tend to take safety less seriously on small jobs?

Although the victim in this incident had been roofing for a couple years, he was a part-time employee who only worked 2 days per week. What challenges do you face when working with someone who does not work as a roofer as their primary occupation? What special precautions should be taken when working with someone whom you are not accustomed to working with?

On the day of the incident, the victim, his uncle, a cousin, and a fourth worker were replacing the asbestos shingles on a church roof. It was late into the third day of work when the victim suggested to his uncle that they stop and complete the job the following day. After telling his uncle that he would make sure that the cleanup work on the ground was completed, the victim descended one of the two 40-foot aluminum extension ladders that were used to access the roof of the church. The edge of the roof against which the ladders were placed was 27 feet above ground. Therefore, it is estimated that the ladder was extended to about 30 feet in length. A 7200-volt power line was 15 feet from the side of the church and 35 feet above ground level.

After the victim descended the ladder, the uncle noticed that the ladder was being raised higher. Although the uncle could not see the workers on the ground, on two occasions he heard the cousin tell the victim not to raise the ladder any higher and to watch the power line that ran parallel to the side of the church. The victim replied that he knew what he was doing. The uncle then saw that the ladder was still being raised, and was being moved in the direction of the power line. (It was standard company procedure to lower the ladder to the ground by sliding it to the left or right down the face of the building.) The uncle walked to the edge of the roof to see what was going on. As he reached the edge of the roof he saw the ladder contact the power line. The ladder fell, breaking contact with the power line and the victim collapsed on the ground. The uncle immediately descended the second ladder and began administering CPR on the victim. The victim was transported via ambulance to the local hospital where he was pronounced dead. During interviews with the uncle it was learned that the victim had been “unusually distracted” for the two days prior to the incident. The uncle also stated that the victim was well aware of the electrical hazard presented by the power line since that was one of the hazards they addressed before beginning any new job.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

The workers believed that the 15-foot clearance between the power line and the church roof was sufficient to ensure their safety. They knew that the ladder, which was not fully extended, was not long enough to contact the power line. No one could explain why the victim raised the ladder and moved the ladder in the direction of the power line, especially after being warned. One possible explanation is that the victim had been “unusually distracted” the past two days. What type of things could conceivably keep you from focusing on safely performing your work tasks?

The aluminum ladder used in this incident was conductive. If a ladder constructed of non-conductive material had been used in this case the incident may have been prevented. Do you know what circumstances is it acceptable for you to use an aluminum ladder?

Energized power lines in proximity to a work area constitute a significant hazard. A safe working distance between ladders and power lines should be maintained at all times. Does everyone know our company policy regarding maintaining a safe distance? Under what circumstances will we contact the power company to place insulating hoses or blankets on power lines in close proximity to a work area?

A 28-year-old roofer died after being struck on the head by a 94-pound counterweight. The company removing and replacing a 9,600-square-foot built-up asphalt roof. They used a swing hoist, whose boom was welded in place, to transport materials between the ground and the roof. The front of the hoist was placed against a 12-inch-high parapet. The hoist had a lifting capacity of 400. Six counterweights were used and weighing from 70 to 135 lbs each.

On their final day at the jobsite the workers were lowering the unused materials and equipment to the ground and loading it on the company trucks. Four workers (including the victim) worked on the ground, while the remaining two workers stayed on the roof to hook the loads to the hoist rope. The last piece of equipment to be lowered to the ground was a 55-gallon drum tar dispenser mounted on a 4-wheel, rubber-tired cart. The tar dispenser and cart had been raised to the roof individually at the start of the job; however, tar had accumulated on the latches securing the dispenser to the cart and the latches could not be released. The workers decided to lower the cart and dispenser together. The total weight of the cart and dispenser, measured after the incident, was 266 pounds.. Since the boom was welded in place, it projected over the edge of the building and therefore could not be positioned directly over the load. The hoist could not lift the load high enough to clear the 12-inch-high parapet before swinging the load over the edge of the building and lowering it. As a result, the workers on the roof assisted in lifting the dispenser and cart unit from the roof. As they began to push the drum and cart over the parapet, the right front tire caught on the parapet. The workers told the four-man ground crew to give them about 3 feet of slack in the hoist line. When they received the slack line, the workers began to push and lift the right side of the cart. When the right front tire cleared the parapet, the dispenser and cart unit fell over the edge of the roof. The force created by the unit’s 3-foot free-fall, and the abrupt tightening of the hoist rope, pulled the swing hoist forward off the roof and catapulted all six counterweights over the edge. As the four workers on the ground began to run away from the building, the victim was struck on the head by the 94-pound wooden counterweight. He was transported via ambulance to the local hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

In this incident, the boom of the swing hoist was welded in place even though it was equipped with a gravity latch to hold it in place while raising or lowering material. This not only increased the strain on the hoist and counterweight, but made it impossible to lift the load clear of the roof edge before swinging the load out away from the roof to allow it to be lowered. The equipment manufacturer should be consulted to determine if the proposed modifications would have adversely affected the equipment or created any potential hazards. Are you aware of any equipment that we use that has been modified in some manner?

In this incident, the workers on the ground were exposed to the hazard from falling material while the material was being lowered to the ground. The workers holding the hoist rope could have been stationed farther away from the area to which the materials were being lowered to lessen the exposure to falling objects. Additionally, one worker on the ground could have been designated as an observer to give as early warning as possible to the workers if material fell from the roof.

A 56-year-old male roofer died after falling approximately 15 feet from a 40-foot extension ladder. The company had been contracted to replace a 35,000 square-foot, 27-foot-high built-up roof on an office complex. A five-man crew was performing the work. The workers had been at the site for 1 week and work had progressed to the point that the only task remaining was the installation of the flashing around the perimeter of the roof. The day of the incident was to be the last day at the site.

At 8:30 a.m. on the morning of the incident, the foreman and two of the roofers climbed the ladder to the roof. The workers were using a 40-foot fiberglass extension ladder tied-off at roof level to access their work area. On his way to the ladder, the victim passed the tar kettle where he asked for, and obtained from the attendant, a rag to use for the day. The attendant watched the victim climb the ladder to a height of approximately 15 feet, then turned away to prepare the tar kettle for transport from the site. The attendant heard something hit the ground behind him and thought the workers on the roof were throwing waste to the ground; however, when he turned, he saw the victim lying on his back on the gravel driveway.

The attendant yelled to the foreman, who, with one of the co-workers, descended the ladder to the ground. The co-worker went into the office complex to have someone call an ambulance. The co-worker then ran to the hospital, which was located up the hill from the complex, to summon help.

The foreman began administering CPR but stopped when he realized the victim had broken ribs. The ambulance arrived within 5 minutes and transported the victim to the hospital where he was pronounced dead by the attending physician.

Although the tar kettle attendant saw the victim ascend the ladder to approximately 15 feet above ground level, the event was unwitnessed. It is not known whether the victim slipped or tripped, then fell from the ladder. The steps of the ladder were clean and dry.

The medical examiner stated that there was no evidence of any physical condition that might have contributed to the incident. Blood alcohol and toxicology reports were negative.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

The ladder in this incident was a commercial-grade fiberglass ladder with a 300 lb. capacity and was tied-off at the top to prevent it from moving. The ladder was clean and there was no evidence of a foreign substance that might have been a factor in the incident. Additionally, the workers had received training in ladder safety. From the known information it is not clear what caused the victim to fall. Ask you crew to offer some possible contributing factors… for example, the victim passed by the kettle shortly before the incident. It is possible that he had some residue on the sole of his shoes that caused him to slip.

A 27-year-old laborer for a roofing company died of injuries sustained when he fell through the roof of a sports coliseum. The incident occurred on a college campus where a project was underway to strengthen the roof structure of an arch-shaped sports coliseum 262 feet long, 241 feet wide, and 91 feet high. The structure had a “built-up” roof consisting of ceiling tile roughly 2 inches thick, plywood sheets, asbestos insulation, and a rubber membrane. The contractor was adding steel purlins between the existing purlins, essentially reducing the spacing to 4-foot centers. Once this was done, the roof was replaced. The final step was repairing the rubber membrane by gluing a strip of rubber over the slice.

Protection was required to be worn by all workers on the roof. All workers on the roof were required to wear full-body harnesses with shock absorbing lanyards and rope grabs. Tie-off points were provided by 3/8 inch wire ropes, strung lengthwise along the surface of the roof, at 40 and 80 feet from the eaves. A third rope was secured around the perimeter of the air-handler ducts mounted at the peak of the roof. Nylon life lines, size-matched to the lanyard’s rope grabs, were dropped at various locations for the workers to tie off from.

The victim was using a roller and solvent to clean the membrane while the foreman was readying the membrane patch and beginning to apply the adhesive. The victim, wearing fall protection, worked his way towards the peak of the roof while the foreman’s work kept him occupied near the bottom of the slice. Shortly before 1:30 p.m., the victim had progressed to the peak, between 80 and 90 feet from the eaves, and was out of sight of the foreman. The victim disconnected his lanyard from the lifeline and his harness. At 1:30 p.m., workers inside the coliseum heard a noise near the ceiling, and observed the victim fall and hit the floor.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

It is not known why the victim disconnected his lanyard from the lifeline or why he disconnected the lanyard from the harness. It is possible that once he reached the peak of the roof, he did not feel the need for fall protection, since the peak was essentially level so he disconnected from the lifeline. Also, during discussions with the foreman, it was learned that it was not unusual for employees to disconnect from lifelines after reaching the top of the roof, since the lifelines were rigged on the surface of the roof, and the lanyards dragging around the workers were cumbersome and made it difficult to work. After disconnecting he would have had to carry the lanyard with rope grab attached. To do this, he may have pulled the lanyard through the straps of the harness, allowing the slack to hang down from his waist. Walking with the lanyard in this manner, would have allowed the rope grab to bang against his leg. This may have been enough of an annoyance that he disconnected the lanyard from the harness and laid it on the air handler duct. It may be possible to alleviate the annoyance of dragging lanyards by suspending them from overhead lifelines.

Are there situations in which your crew members remove their fall protection because it is an annoyance?

A 48-year-old roofing company manager was killed when he fell 30 feet onto a concrete floor. He had worked in the roofing business for 26 years and was the Operations Manager for the company. Part of his job was to serve as the company’s safety officer. In that capacity, he had the responsibility to follow-up on roofing sales by inspecting new job sites to determine what safety equipment would be required. He was also responsible for ensuring that the necessary equipment was provided and maintained at each job site, and for inspecting the work as completed at each site.

The job site where this incident occurred was a 60′ x 120′ garage roof. The old roofing material, which consisted of paper- and tar-covered Tectum, was to be covered by the crew with sheets of corrugated steel decking. The roof had a 3:12 pitch. Two days prior to the incident, before initial work began, the victim had inspected the site to determine what safety precautions should be taken, where to store materials, etc. The roofing work began on Friday (the day prior to the incident). The crew of six men had completed about one-quarter of the job on the first day. On Saturday morning, the victim and the witness had arrived prior to the other five crew members in order to inspect the previous day’s work and to assemble the safety equipment to be used that day. As Operations Manager, it was his usual practice to inspect all jobs in process on a daily or almost-daily basis. As had been directed by the victim on Thursday, caution lines made of yellow rope had been placed approximately one foot to each side of, and parallel to, the beam of the roof peak, and workers were not required to tie off with their retractable lifelines if they remained within that lined-off area. In addition, the workers had installed a steel cable along the beam of the roof peak to which the retractable lifelines could be hooked. The victim had just finished inspecting and approving the completed work and was involved in a discussion with the witness as they attempted to retrieve two rope grabs which were lying outside the caution line. According to the witness, because of their conversation, neither he nor the victim was paying sufficient attention and when the victim reached to pick up the robe grabs, he stepped too far beyond the caution line onto an old section of roof that was not strong enough to hold his weight. The roof gave way, and he fell through it to the concrete floor 30 feet below. The other crew members were just beginning to arrive. They ran to the guard booth to call 911. The ambulance arrived and transported the victim to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:50 am.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

In this case, fall protection equipment was available at the job site, but a determination had been made by the victim that workers would be safe without it if they stayed within the caution lines. Unfortunately, even the victim, who was the company’s designated safety officer, forgot to tie off prior to stepping outside the caution line to retrieve two rope grabs. This incident illustrates the importance of using fall protection equipment whenever working from elevations where there is a danger of falling, without exceptions for “safe” areas.

It is not known why the rope grabs were located outside the caution line. Although it is not unusual for such equipment to remain on the job site overnight while work is in progress, it normally is stored in a more accessible place. The worker who left it the day before was probably unaware of the danger of that particular section of the roof.

A 33 year old apprentice roofer received serious burns when he slipped and fell in hot tar. At the time of the incident, the roofer was charged with carrying hot tar in buckets from the kettle to the location on the roof at which it was being applied. He was carrying two buckets of hot tar across the roof when he stepped into some freshly applied hot tar and slipped. The slip caused him to fall into the hot tar. He was also splashed by the hot tar in the buckets he was carrying and suffered serious second and third degree burns to his head, face, neck, chest, arms and hands. These burns required over two weeks of hospitalization and numerous surgical procedures.

DISCUSSION NOTES: Ask your crew to share their experiences. What injuries (or near miss events) does this remind them of?

After discussing the events that they share, discuss the following:

Hot tar is a petroleum by-product and very slick or sticky. Either condition (slick or slippery) can cause a trip or fall. For that reason, each and every hot tar job should be planned to avoid getting hot tar on surfaces where workers might walk.

In addition to planning hot tar jobs, it is recommended mop carts with wheels and push handles be used to transfer hot tar to the application point. Remind workers when doing this, to carefully twist buckets or mop carts to un-stick them from the roof to avoid splashing of the hot tar.

Whether buckets are wheeled (and be pushed); or if they are carried, workers should keep the hot tar inside of a bucket at a safe level, and should never fill a hot tar bucket more than three fourths full.

Whenever working with hot tar, the proper personal protective equipment (ppe) is a must. Employees should be required to wear heat resistant gloves with stretch wrist cuffs (no gauntlet style wrist cuffs), natural fiber clothing – long sleeve shirts that extend over the cuff of the glove, long pants and high top work boots. Additional protection (including face protection) should be worn if operating the kettle.

Lastly, we need to be prepared for the worst and ready to act quickly if an hot tar injury occurs. Each job should have a supply or source of cool water available on the roof. Quickly immersing a burn or running cool water over it can reduce the severity of the burn and ease the victim’s pain. Additionally, every worker on a hot tar job should be trained in first aid for tar burns.

A 22-year-old roofer was fatally injured after falling 23 feet through a skylight opening. The victim was working to replace the old roofing from a high school gymnasium roof. Replacing the roof required ripping up and replacing the old tar paper and underlying fiberglass insulation on large areas of the school roof. New sheets of insulation were to be placed, covered with tarpaper, and sealed with hot asphalt. The finished roof would be coated with a light colored paint.
On the morning of this incident, a light fog covered the school as the workers arrived at 6:00 a.m. for their first day of work. The company foreman had arrived two hours earlier to start the asphalt kettle and look over the job before the remaining crew of 15 roofers came on site. Work began by replacing the roof over the school’s gymnasium. The 100 foot long by 80 foot wide roof was constructed of concrete covering a base of 22 gauge steel decking plates. Four plastic domed skylights were built into the roof, which were built on an eight inch high raised curb.

The company owner was supervising the work as the crew started to rip one half the roof (lengthwise) and remove the plastic domes from the skylights. Demolition of the roof went quickly and was completed within two hours. The victim helped to remove one of the skylights, which was immediately covered with a thin sheet of fiberboard to keep dust from being drawn into the gym. The fiberboard was to be in place only a few minutes until the opening could be covered with stronger plywood.

A short time later, the victim and two other workers were talking and walking across the roof. They walked around one of the skylights, which was being removed by another crew, and towards the skylight with the fiberboard cover. As he approached the skylight, the victim stepped eight inches up onto the fiberboard, which broke under his weight. His co-worker reportedly saw him fall straight through the skylight, landing on his feet on the gym floor and striking his head as he fell into a fetal position.

DISCUSSION NOTES:

Never, ever leave roof openings unprotected, unguarded, or uncovered. Covering them with a material of insufficient strength is just as hazardous as leaving the opening unprotected.

With this incident, there was more than meets the eye. The medical examiner’s report noted a positive toxicology for drugs in the victim’s blood. No matter what you think you know, drugs (including prescription, non-prescription, and illegal drugs) can influence your judgment. Because your life (and the lives of your coworkers) is more important than any job, we have a “no tolerance” policy towards alcohol and illegal drugs.

A 21-year-old roofer helper died after falling 22 feet through a roof opening. His employer was a roofing and sheet metal contractor that had been subcontracted to install roofing materials on an addition to the gymnasium at a middle school. At the time of the incident, corrugated roofing panels had been secured to the roof deck, and weather insulating strips were being applied over the panels. The roof area was approximately 114 feet long by 96 feet wide, and contained one roof hatch opening 292 inches wide by 35 inches long. The opening was covered by a 4-foot-wide by 8-foot-long, 1 inch thick sheet plywood. The roof had a 1:48 pitch.
On the day of the incident, five workers – a foreman, two roofers, and two roofer helpers – were placing insulating strips over the panels on the roof deck. The foreman was working on the roof deck approximately 20 to 25 feet away from the roof opening. The victim, after finishing a task, approached the foreman and asked what was to be done at the plywood area. The foreman replied “wait until I finish cutting around this unit and I’ll show you, because there is a hole there.” The victim walked away in the direction of the plywood as the foreman continued his task.

Although no one saw the victim fall, evidence at the site suggests that the victim had either (1) intentionally removed the plywood from the opening; (2) lost his balance and fell; or (3) unintentionally displaced the plywood and stepped or tripped into the opening. The victim fell 22 feet to the concrete floor, striking his face and head.

Upon hearing a noise the foreman turned around and saw the victim falling through the opening. The foreman yelled to the other crew members and they all descended from the roof to aid the victim. The victim was conscious, but bleeding from the ears, nose, and mouth. 911 was called and an ambulance arrived about 10 minutes later. The victim was transported to the local hospital where he died 17 hours later.

Discussion:

Although the roof opening was covered with a 4-foot-wide by 8-foot-long piece of 1 inch thick plywood, the plywood was not secured to prevent inadvertent displacement. Since the incident was not witnessed, a determination could not be made as to whether the victim intentionally or unintentionally moved the plywood.

It is our company policy that all roof openings which have the potential of becoming hazards during construction, should either be secured with a standard railing and toe-boards on all exposed sides or with a cover capable of supporting a worker’s weight without danger of displacement.

Securing the plywood properly would have prevented any unintentional movement. How well do we do at covering roof openings and securing them to prevent them from unintentional movement?