Inspection Detail

Inspection: 302473137 - Taylor Construction Company Of Lenoir, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Nc Department Of Labor - Winston-Salem

Investigation Summary

Employee #1 and three coworkers were installing the last 10 of 80 skylights on the roof of a warehouse. The crew had cut the outline openings for seven of the ten units. The decking had been removed from six of the openings; the seventh had been left in place, with two spot welds holding it in position. Employee #1 had assisted a coworker as he cut the outline holes for the skylights. The saw blade was quite worn and had to be changed to finish the cutting operation. While the coworker was changing the blade, Employee #1 began helping a second coworker unpack a stack of five skylight fixtures that were to be installed over the openings. The second coworker had his back turned to Employee #1 when he heard the spot welds on the section of decking snap and break. When he turned around, Employee #1 was missing from the roof. He had fallen 38 ft from the roof to the hard-packed earth below the roof opening, sustaining multiple blunt force injuries and several fractured bones. The local rescue squad attempted to stabilize Employee #1 and transported him to the local hospital, where he died at 5:25 p.m. on July 8, 1999. There were no eyewitnesses to the accident and the reason Employee #1 fell through the roof opening could not be determined. He may have been distracted or forgot that the section of roofing had been cut. Alternately, he may have been pulling at a piece of scrap packing material and fell or stumbled onto the section of decking covering the skylight opening.

Keywords: ROOF OPENING COVER, SKYLIGHT, SPOT WELDING, INSTALLING, UNSECURED, WORK RULES, BROKEN WELD, CONSTRUCTION, FALL, INATTENTION