Inspection Detail

Inspection: 113328868 - Sykora Construction

Inspection Information - Office: Bismarck Area Office

Investigation Summary

At approximately 7:30 a.m. on October 10, 1997, Employee #1 and a coworker were hired from a job service office by the owner of Sykora Construction to work on the roof of a single-family residence. When they arrived at the job site, the owner immediately told Employee #1 not to work near the edge of the roof while removing the old shingles. The owner watched Employee #1 closely for approximately an hour and was satisfied that he was staying away from the roof's edge. Approximately two hours into the job, when the owner's back was turned, Employee #1 fell 13 ft off the rack edge of the roof onto the sidewalk. He sustained massive head injuries and died on October 15, 1997. The roof had a 3 in 12 pitch, and the owner did not feel that a fall prevention system was necessary on a low sloping roof. There were no other witnesses except for the coworker, who had not yet been interviewed. The owner had been in the construction business for approximately 15 years and was the sole owner of his company. The major part of his business consisted of small residential remodeling and some removal and replacement of shingles on residential structures. He usually worked alone and only hired day labor from the job service office when he had a shingle job to do. The employer indicated that he was very careful to hire only individuals that appeared to be in good shape and showed no signs of drinking.

Keywords: HEAD, ROOF, WORK RULES, CONSTRUCTION, FALL, FALL PROTECTION