Construction is one of the greatest drivers of California’s economy, as well as one of the results of its great success in attracting residents and workers. Increasing numbers of buildings under construction, as well as the heights and engineering challenges of new designs, demand attention to prevent injuries or fatalities on construction sites.
The building of a structure’s internal supports are particularly hazardous phases to those involved, especially if harnesses and other safety devices are not used or used improperly. The unrestrained heights can be the site of terrible falls.
The heights of a construction site recently claimed a man’s life in an incident near Fresno that is under investigation by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA). A 49-year-old construction worker fell up to 40 feet and died en route to a community hospital.
The Fresno County sheriff was called to the construction site south of the city at 9:00 in the morning, and called an ambulance. Unfortunately, it was not in time to save the construction worker’s life.
The victim of the fall apparently crashed through a skylight and fell straight to the ground, according to a Cal/OSHA spokesperson. The state agency has six months to issue a citation due to unsafe working conditions or other violations that may have contributed to the accident.
Unsafe working conditions should always be reported to site managers or other appropriate authorities on the work site. If a worker or visitor to a construction site is injured by dangerous conditions, he or she has the right to pursue damages related to medical expenses, lost wages and pain experienced during the injury and recovery.
Source: Fresno Bee, “Man died after falling 30 feet at construction site,” Chueyee Yang, Aug. 9, 2017
