Inspection Detail

Inspection: 316980846 - Trinity Roofing Company

Inspection Information - Office: Bakersfield District Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 1:20 p.m. on January 11, 2014, Employee #1 and Coworker #1, roofers employed by Trinity Roofing Company, were working at an apartment building. Their employer had tasked them to repair and hot mop a carport roof located in an alley behind the apartment. After they replaced the roof's rotten wood, they applied a layer of felt along the roof's southern edge. Employee #1, using a mop, then proceeded to brush hot asphalt along the edge of the roof, starting at the southeast corner of the roof and working the mop along the southern edge until he reached the southwest corner of the roof. Upon reaching the southwest corner, Employee #1 inadvertently stepped on a portion of the roof to which he had applied asphalt. He slipped and fell off the roof. Employee #1 fell head first approximately 8 feet 9 inches and landed on the cement floor below. Emergency services were called, and the Kern County Fire Department responded. Employee #1 was transported to the hospital, where he was admitted and treated for a laceration of the liver and a head injury. He remained hospitalized for three days. This event was reported to Cal/OSHA by the Kern County Fire Department at 2:55 p.m. on January 11, 2014. The employer reported to Cal/OSHA at 4:00 p.m. on January 14, 2014. During the subsequent investigation, it was determined that employer was a roofing contractor primarily engaged in repairing and remodeling residential roofs. Employee #1 had been working directly for the employer for approximately 13 years. The investigation concluded that the immediate cause of Employee #1's fall was misjudgment of a hazardous situation.

Keywords: HEAD, INSTALLING, CONSTRUCTION, LIVER, LACERATION, ROOFER, FALL, FALL PROTECTION, SLIPPERY SURFACE, ASPHALT