Worker’s Fatal Fall Through Hole in Roof Results in $90,000 Fine

Workers were removing turbine ventilation from the roof of a mill building and applying insulation and sheathing to cover the holes from the turbines. Two turbines were removed and insulation applied to the open holes. But the holes weren’t surrounded by a guardrail or covered. A worker stepped onto and through the insulation on one of the holes and fell 42 feet to his death. He was wearing a fall arrest body harness but it wasn’t attached to any fall arrest or travel restraint system. Three days before this incident, the company had been warned by the constructor about ensuring fall arrest was worn by workers. The company pleaded guilty to an OHS violation and was fined $90,000 [GRC Contracting, Govt. News Release, May 12, 2015].