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Falling: Truth and Consequences
Anchor 1
How Oregon Construction Workers Fall

Table 1 shows that falls from ladders account for nearly half of all disabling falls. Causes may include selecting the wrong type
of ladder, using a damaged ladder, improper use, and incorrect placement and setup.

Anchor 2
Falls in Oregon

The following are descriptions of some real workplace events in which Oregon workers sustained fatal injuries from falling:


Fall from ladder. A carpenter was standing on a stepladder installing trim around a new skylight fixture. He lost his
balance and fell, striking his head on a cast-iron wood stove nearby.


Fall from a roof. A roofer was installing shingles on the roof of a two-story home. It was early morning and the rooftop
was covered in frost. He slipped on the roof and fell off the edge, falling 20 feet to the concrete sidewalk.

Fall from scaffolding. A carpenter was working at a bridge construction site standing on wooden scaffolding notwearing his fall protection harness. He stepped off the edge and fell 23 feet to the ground.

Fall from ladder. An electrician was on the roof of a school. He stepped down onto a 10-foot stepladder to exit the roof and the ladder kicked out from under him, causing him to fall

approximately 10 feet to the ground.
 

Fall from roof. An employee was going up on the roof to reinstall anchors to finish sheeting. He stepped on a piece
of plywood that was not secured and fell through the trusses approximately 19 feet to concrete.

Fall from structure. A framing foreman was at a construction site with a crew installing roof trusses on a new, onestory
building. The roof trusses collapsed and the framing foreman fell to the floor below.


Fall from roof. A satellite installer was on top of a multi-level roof home repositioning a satellite dish for a customer
when he slipped and fell. He slid approximately 15 feet down the rooftop on his back before his feet caught on the gutter. He flipped over the edge of the roof, falling 10 feet to the grass lawn.

 

 

Fall from ladder. A plumber fell from a 12-foot wooden ladder to a concrete floor.


Fall from vehicle. A dump truck driver was trying to unload some heavy equipment when he fell from the truck
trailer approximately seven feet to the ground.

Remembering these tragic events may help prevent future losses.

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