Date of incident: April 2023
Notice of incident number: 2023194900025
Employers: Roofing company (prime contractor); construction company; sheet metal roof installer

Incident summary
Several workers arrived at a residential construction site to work on a roof replacement. Two sheet metal roofers accessed the roof to install fall restraint anchors while other workers prepared to build a working platform. Another worker attempted to access the roof with a 2.3 m (8 ft.) fibreglass A-frame stepladder set up beside the residence. When he was about halfway up the stepladder, the worker fell to the ground. He sustained serious injuries and later died.

Investigation conclusions

Cause

• Worker fell from stepladder set up on uneven ground. The self-supporting A-frame stepladder was not placed on a firm and level surface. As the worker moved up the stepladder, the centre of gravity of the stepladder transferred toward the two legs on the lower portion of the uneven ground (closest to the residence), which caused the stepladder to tip toward the residence. The worker fell away from the residence and onto the ground.

Contributing factors

• Incorrect equipment used to provide access. Appropriate equipment was not used to access the roof. A portable non-self-supporting ladder should have been used to provide safe access to and egress from the roof. The ladder should have been of sufficient length, approximately 1 m (3 ft.) above the eave, to enable the safe performance of the work activity. The stepladder used was not of sufficient length to project above the eave of the roof. There were no portable non-self-supporting ladders on site on the day of the incident.

Other health and safety issues

• Incident not reported. This incident was not reported to WorkSafeBC for over two weeks after it occurred. Employers must immediately notify WorkSafeBC of the occurrence of any incident that results in a serious injury to or the death of a worker. In this case, none of the three employers on site reported the incident when it occurred.

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