Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1418365.015 - Adams & Sons, Ltd.

Inspection Information - Office: Madison Area Office

Investigation Summary

At 9:15 a.m. on July 19, 2019, a foreman and an employee of a roofing and siding installation company were installing screens on rain gutters on a residential house to prevent leaves and debris from entering the gutters. The air temperature was approximately 79 degrees Fahrenheit, and skies were clear with no winds. The foreman was working from a ladder on the north side of the house, when he heard the employee calling for help. After descending the ladder, the foreman walked to the southwest corner of the house and found the employee lying on the concrete slab unable to stand up. Prior to this discovery, the employee had climbed onto the flat roof above the front porch and was installing the last few gutter screens by leaning his upper body over a guardrail on the porch roof that was approximately two feet high. The employee fell while reaching to install a gutter screen, and landed on a concrete slab that was approximately 12 feet below. The employee was not utilizing fall protection prior to the fall. The employee sustained a fractured vertebrae and pelvis and was hospitalized.

Keywords: Concrete Slab, Fall, Fall From Elevation, Fall Protection, Fracture, Guardrail, Gutter, Installing, Pelvis, Reaching, Roof, Vertebra