• Roofing death boss found guilty (BBC)
• Worker Falls To Death At Pittsburgh Construction Site (WTAETV)

The BBC recently reported on a roofing boss found guilty of manslaughter after an employee fell through a skylight. Accidents like this illustrate the importance of safety equipment (like the AES SKYNET) for both the worker and the employer. Read the complete BBC article below...

Page last updated at 19:41 GMT, Thursday, 22 January 2009

Roofing death boss found guilty

Roof firm boss has been found guilty of manslaughter after an employee fell through a skylight.

A jury at Hove Crown Court convicted Colin Cooper, 48, and his company IC Roofing Ltd over the death of Darren Hoofe in 2005.

Mr Hoofe, 20, was carrying out repairs at the Bellbrook Industrial Estate, Uckfield, East Sussex when he fell 20ft (6m) on 29 November.

The court heard he did not have a harness and there was no safety net.

Mr Hoofe suffered severe head and brain injuries when he fell through the skylight onto a concrete factory floor, and died in hospital a day later.

'Hole within family'

Following the verdict, his parents John and Jill Hoofe said: "We are obviously overjoyed with the verdict in this case after three long years; we feel that it finally represents justice for Darren.

"However... we cannot resolve the fact that there is a large hole within our family that has been created by Darren's death, especially as this was an accident at work that could and should have been avoided."

At an earlier hearing, Cooper, who denied the charge, had pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the safety of an employee under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

Cooper, of London Road, Hailsham, told jurors during the 13-day trial he had carried out the necessary risk assessment procedures and did not put any of his employees in danger.

'Entirely preventable'

But Brian Altman QC, prosecuting, told the court Mr Hoofe, an electrical engineer who lived with his parents in Newhaven, was "inexperienced" and had received "limited training".

He also said Mr Hoofe was wearing trainers instead of safety boots when he fell, and his death had been "entirely preventable".

Cooper was granted bail for sentencing on 27 January.

Health and Safety Executive inspector Amanda Huff said: "Colin Cooper showed reckless disregard for the safety of his employees, even though the risks and necessary precautions were well known to him.

"If there is to be any positive outcome from this tragic death, then it has to be that other roofing contractors appreciate that compliance with health and safety requirements is important and that failure to do so can have serious consequences."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/7845695.stm

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UPDATED: 8:47 pm EDT October 7, 2008

Pittsburgh Construction Worker Falls To Death At Condo Project

Contractor Of Project Where Worker Took Fatal Fall Repeatedly Cited By OSHA

PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh police are investigating how a worker fell to his death at a downtown construction project on Tuesday morning.

According to police the victim is 33-year-old Brian Obermeier of Etna, a contractor who was working on the Carlyle Condominium project, located near the corner of Fourth Avenue and Wood Street. (See Map)

"I heard somebody scream and I looked over and a man was laying on the ground, he had like a blue construction hat laying there. And somebody started yelling 'call 9-1-1.' So they called 911. It looked like he come out either the top window or the construction scaffolding they were using there. It was just sad. He was just sprawled on the ground," said Mark Shook, a witness at the scene.

Dynamic Building Corporation and subcontractors are converting the Union Bank Building into the Carlyle Condominiums.

Pittsburgh police said the victim was last seen getting off an elevator on the 20th floor of Commonwealth Building at 316 Fourth Avenue and heading towards the stairs which lead up to the roof of the building. Workers use that route to access the Carlisle construction site, police said, and it appears the worker fell from the roof of the Commonwealth building.

"At some point, he had taken the elevator to the roof where they are working, and we are investigating how he fell from the top of that roof onto the ground below," said Pittsburgh police commander Thomas Stangrecki.

"He did not have a harness on. We will talk to the company to find out exactly what his job responsibilities were," Stangrecki said

Police and OSHA are still investigating exactly what happened.

Dynamic Building Corporation, the contractor on the project, has gotten plenty of warnings from OSHA to improve safety. In fact, the company has paid thousand of dollars in fines over the past eight years.

The most recent case was in April of this year. Dynamic Building paid an $8,600 fine to OSHA. Among the violations were citations for inadequate fall protection, a repeat violation for the company.

In April 2007 the company paid a $10, 500 fine for unsafe scaffolding and ladders. In July 2006 - there was a $2,100 fine for inadequate fall protection. In June 2005, a $790 fine for inadequate fall protection. In June 2003 the company paid a $610 fine for unsafe rigging equipment and in August 2000, they paid a $2,200 fine for inadequate fall protection and unsafe ladders.

So far there's no comment from the company on those past violations.

The website for Dynamic Building describes it as one of the top ten contractors and construction managers in western Pennsylvania. Police tell WTAE the worker who died did not work for Dynamic but for an unidentified subcontractor.

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/17641778/detail.html

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