Immigrant Roofer Struck by a Bag of Gravel that Fell from a Roof

SUMMARY

On November 13, 2010 a 39-year-old male roofer (victim) was part of a crew repairing the roof of a building. The victim was standing on the ground when he was struck by a bag loaded with gravel from the building's roof. The bag, which weighed approximately 40 pounds, was being lowered from the roof to the ground using a portable manual rope pulley system. The bag free fell three and one half stories, striking the victim in the head. Two co-workers were positioned on the building's roof at the time of the incident. One of the co-workers immediately called the company owner after the incident. The company owner then placed a call for emergency medical services (EMS). A pedestrian who heard yells for help also called EMS. The local police arrived followed by the fire department and EMS personnel within minutes of the call. The victim was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The Massachusetts FACE Program concluded that to prevent similar occurrences in the future, employers should:

Immigrant Roofer Struck by a Bag of Gravel that Fell from a Roof
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