New York Personal Injury Attorneys BlogPublished on:
Fall prevention in the roofing industry
Two weeks ago a 45 year old construction worker died after he fell from a roof in Troy, NY. The worker sustained serious injury and was pronounced dead upon his arrival to the hospital. (read more here)Roofer is one of the most dangerous job in the US
Roofers are the construction workers that are the most at risk of dying in a fall accident. According to previous statistics between 35 and 40 roofers out of 100,000 die every year in fall accidents. This is 10 times the rate of fatality of the construction industry globally. 75% of roofing fatalities are caused by falls. Falls are often deadly but when they are not, injuries can be devastating and sometimes result in lifelong disabilities. Traumatic Brain injury is one of the most common injury sustain by roofers in fall accidents. Broken bone injuries can also occur depending on how the worker lands. Broken spine, broken neck, arms, and ribs are the most common as well as broken knees, ankles and feet.
Making sure that contractors, employers and workers understand how to work safely to prevent falls is a necessity
On April 16th, roofers and contractors working in the roofing industry are invited to attend a free fall prevention webinar organized conjointly by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) the National Institute for Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) and the National Roofing Contractor Association. This seminar is part of the National Safety Stand Down to Prevent Falls that will officially take place the first week of May.
The webinar will last for an hour. Construction workers will be taught by experts how to plan, train and execute safety measures to prevent roofing accident injuries and fatalities. They will also learn what to do if a fall accident occur.
More info here
Picture of a roofer working on a home with no safety equipment: courtesy of Wikimedia
