Worker Knocked Through Roof Opening

A sheet metal mechanic died after he was knocked through a roof opening and fell to a concrete floor below.

He was working for a plumbing and heating contractor that had been in business for 22 years. The victim was working on a job to fabricate and install a sheet metal cap over an opening on the flat roof of a manufacturing plant. The hole was made when an air conditioning unit was removed.

The cap, made of sheet metal, was positioned near the hole where it was going to be installed. The victim was applying caulk to a raised curb bordering the opening. A gust of wind knocked the cap over. It struck him and knocked him through the roof opening to the floor 22 feet (6.7 meters) below.

This fatality is a reminder about the importance of planning a job safely and using the correct personal protective equipment. The placement of the metal cap should have taken into account the possibility that it would be moved by the wind. The worker should have been protected by fall arrest equipment.