OSHA is reporting a November near-tragedy at an Illinois worksite, when an agency investigator on a Local Emphasis Program (LED) inspection noticed employees of a roofing contractor and a building restoration company working on a church roof without any fall protection. The LED in this instance was on falls.

Before he left the worksite that day, OSHA Compliance Safety and Health Officer Tony Nozzi made sure that all the workers donned harnesses and lanyards and secured themselves with rope grabs.

After his departure, a worker who was power washing the steeple of the church slipped and slid down the church's pitched roof. The life line became tight on the lanyard and he stopped right before the edge of the roof.

"His fall protection equipment prevented serious and potentially fatal injuries and the employee was then able to walk back up the roof towards the steeple and safely complete his work," according to OSHA.

More information on fall protection is available at OSHA's Residential Fall Protection page and Safety and Health Topics Page on Fall Protection.