Inspection Detail

Inspection: 1472700.015 - Virginia Everywhere, Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Va-E-Roanoke (Regional Office) -Safety 0355118

Investigation Summary

At 9:30 a.m. on April 7, 2020, an employee was working as a technician for a fiber broadband firm. He was working on the roof of an autobody shop. The building rooftop was approximately 10 feet (3.1 meters) high. The employee was working around a skylight that was 4 feet (1.2 meters) or more above a lower level. The skylight was not covered or guarded by a guardrail system. The employee was talking on the phone to a fellow technician. He was walking backward when he fell through the skylight. He landed on a vehicle that was under the skylight and then kept going until he ended up on the floor. He suffered five fractures in his back, two fractures in his neck, and a few broken ribs. He was hospitalized. The employee was not wearing personal fall arrest system at the time of the incident. The employer had fall protection available but failed to require its use at the jobsite. The details of this incident were described in another investigation, one that looked into the incident as it related to the site where the employee was working, the autobody shop. That was investigation number 125253. It had the same UPA number, 1567333.

Keywords: Back, Broken Bone, Communication Worker, Fall, Fall From Elevation, Fall Protection, Fracture, Neck, Rib, Roof, Skylight, Telecom Work, Walking Backward, Walking Surface, Work Rules, Work at Elevation