OSHA: Employer Could’ve Prevented 62-Year-Old’s Deadly Fall

A mobile home manufacturer in Alabama could’ve prevented a 62-year-old roofing laborer’s fatal fall if the employer had followed OSHA’s fall protection standards, a federal investigation found.

Because the employer failed to do so, it now faces a hefty penalty on top of dealing with the tragedy. Here’s what happened, according to OSHA.

OSHA finds serious violations

The investigation determined a 62-year-old roofing laborer for Kabco Builders Inc. was working alone while loading shingles. The employee slipped and fell approximately 10 feet while straddling a two-foot-wide space between a platform and the roof of a mobile home.

The employee died at a nearby hospital.

OSHA cited Kabco Builders with 10 serious violations for hazards, including:

• not providing workers with fall protection
• failure to train workers performing roof work at heights of four feet or more
• not providing training to workers who operate forklifts
• not requiring workers applying adhesives to wear personal protective equipment (PPE), and
• not training workers on the hazards related to the chemicals in use.

The agency proposed $81,463 in penalties.

“As falls from heights continue to be the leading cause of fatalities and serious injuries in all industries, employers like Kabco Builders must know and understand the importance of fall protection standards and related training,” said OSHA Area Office Director Joel Batiz in Birmingham, Alabama. “Following these well-established safety requirements can mean the difference between an employer seeing its worker ending a shift safely or having to watch as a worker’s family, friends and co-workers grieve a needless tragedy.”

Kabco Builders Inc. abated the cited hazards and paid the penalty, according to OSHA.

Slip-and-fall accidents are among the most common – and most expensive – workplace injuries.

Info: DOL Cites Boaz Mobile Home Manufacturer After 62-Year-Old Worker Suffers Fatal Trauma After 10-Foot Fall, 6/20/24.