Roofer falls to death, co-worker injured trying to save him
OSHA: Roeder Construction ignored safety requirements at residential jobsite
A 42-year-old worker fell 16 feet to his death and a 25-year-old co-worker suffered serious injuries because their employer, Roeder Construction, failed to provide either man with fall protection as they worked on a roof, an OSHA investigation has determined.
The two men were installing a heavy-duty, weatherproof tarpaulin on Sept. 15, 2014, on a residential home in Grand Island, Nebraska. OSHA's investigation found that one employee lost his balance and started falling. The second man tried to stop his co-worker's fall, and the momentum carried both employees off the roof to the ground. As a result, one worker died of his injuries two days later, while the second was treated and released from a local hospital with torn ligaments and bruising. Both employees had been with the company for a little more than a month, but had previous roofing-industry experience.