This morning at 6:32 AM while walking downward on a 4/12 sheathed roof, one of our workers stumbled and fell face first toward the outside edge of the single story roof he was working on. From the momentum of his fall he lurched over the 2×6 slide guard at the edge of the roof and continued over the edge.
He was wearing a properly fitted full body harness connected to a DBI/SALA© Ultra Lok® SRL which in turn was connected to a Super Anchor© ARS 5K Surface Mounted/Fall Arrest Anchor. The SRL engaged causing him to be pulled backwards into an upright posture as he went over the edge of the roof. The SRL cable impacted with the fascia and then the worker slid approximately four feet where he stopped over a window opening. At no time did the worker contact the ground!
The worker was immediately rescued by his fellow coworkers and evaluated for injuries. The worker stated that he thinks he may have hit the side of the sill with his ankle because it ached a little. He said the pain was very mild and he could walk just fine. He said he felt no other injuries. The momentum combined with the direction and angle the worker was falling would likely have resulted in a serious or deadly accident had he not been using Conventional Fall Protection. He would have fallen head first to the ground or he would have gone face first into the block wall only seven feet away from the roof edge.
The worker was issued a new harness and immediately returned to work. All equipment has been removed from service pending evaluation by a qualified person.
The photos included with this email will show the following:
- The roof where the fall occurred
- The anchor point that saved our worker (which was already being removed for replacement before I arrived to investigate the incident).
- One of the photos will show the location of a block wall in relation to the house.
This is the third successful Conventional Fall Protection Systems outcome for LeBlanc Building Co. Inc. since implementation. We greatly appreciate the many trade partners who support us and our safety program unconditionally.
If you would like to learn more about the proactive ways employers can protect workers with any of the numerous feasible conventional systems available feel free to contact me, Maracay Homes, or ADOSH Consultation.
