A Yakima County roofing company employee died last month after falling through a skylight, the latest in a string of Washington roofer falls that have led to state citations.
The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries cited and fined Leslie & Campbell of Union Gap, Yakima County, nearly $49,000 on Sept. 8 after a roofer fell more than 25 feet through a skylight to the concrete floor of a fruit-packing warehouse, according to a news release.
The agency said its investigation found that the skylight was not guarded to prevent falls, and that the company had not identified the skylights as a fall hazard or adequately trained workers on the danger.
Leslie & Campbell is appealing the citation and fine.
No words can adequately express the sorrow we feel over a young life lost far too soon," the company said in a statement Thursday.
The company added that employees' "safety, well-being, and ability to return home to their families each day remain" among its highest priorities.
Leslie & Campbell declined to comment on the specific details of the investigation or regulatory findings at this time.
“A worker died because their employer failed to protect them,” said Craig Blackwood, assistant director for L&I’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health. “While penalties can’t bring this worker back to their family, they help ensure companies follow safety rules and prevent future tragedies.
Falls have long been the leading cause of death for construction workers nationwide. But recently, Washington has seen an uptick in citations for preventable falls, according to an L&I news release.
The department has fined five construction companies a total of more than $440,000 for violating fall protection rules over the past four months.
L&I issued the largest of those citations to Roof Doctor Inc. of Olympia on June 30, fining the company $238,680 for four willful serious violations, meaning the department found the company knowingly disregarded safety rules, and two serious fall-protection violations after a portion of a roof collapsed beneath a worker in Tumwater, Thurston County.
The worker, whose safety rope was too long to break his fall, was hospitalized for his injuries, according to the news release. The company is appealing the citation.
Roof Doctor and its associated companies have been cited for more than 80 safety violations since 2004, including 34 for failure to make sure workers were wearing fall protection. The business had nearly 40 injury claims related to falls during that period, according to the news release.
Roof Doctor did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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