Production Supervisor Falls 19.5 Feet through a Metal Roof and Dies, Kentucky

SUMMARY

On August 7, 2014, a 52-year-old supervisor at a graphite manufacturing plant and another employee walked to the outside second floor area between a warehouse and the main plant to troubleshoot a problem occurring in one of the blending procedures. They climbed through the guard rails onto a catwalk, then out onto a second story flat metal roof to access the pneumatic feed system. The supervisor disconnected the conveyance line and checked for clogs. After not seeing any apparent clogs, he sent the other employee back into the warehouse to turn on the blower and check the line. The employee was advised by the supervisor to turn off the blower after he received a visual signal from the supervisor. When the employee did not receive the signal from the supervisor, he returned to the work area. Upon arriving to the work area, the employee heard the supervisor yell for him and found him lying on the ground. The supervisor had stepped through a rotten area of the roof and had fallen 19 feet 6 inches to the hard, dirt surface below. Emergency medical services were called to the scene. The supervisor was transported to a local hospital and then transferred to an out-of-state trauma center where he remained until his death on August 24, 2014.

Production Supervisor Falls 19.5 Feet through a Metal Roof and Dies, Kentucky [PDF 1,016 KB]