It is no secret that the construction industry can be dangerous. A construction site may involve a great deal of heavy machinery and a variety of contractors moving through the site. But, a recent story from Northern California highlights that a workplace accident may involve unexplained circumstances at a relatively empty site.
Fall-related accidents are not unheard of in construction and renovation projects. In late December, workers began arriving around 7:00 in the morning one Friday at a two story building under renovation, which formerly housed a sporting goods store. The workers found a man dead at the construction site.
Officials do not know why the man had arrived early. But, the coroner says that the man died of blunt force trauma. Investigators believe that the man fell from the rafters of the two-story building before any of his co-workers reported for work on December 29.
Investigators say that there is no reason to suspect foul play or suicide in the fatal accident. Those issues have been ruled out. But, officials are still trying to determine what led to the fatal workplace accident.
Workers at any construction site may be exposed to a variety of different types of hazards. Fall-related accidents are a true danger on many construction sites. Notably, a worker need not be elevated from a surface to suffer significant injury in a fall-related workplace accident. Fall-accidents may result in head trauma, broken bones and other kinds of injuries. But when height is involved—even a height of two stories—a worker can suffer grave injury in a fall-related accident.
Source: San Mateo County Times, “Coroner: Man found dead in Daly City store died in fall,” Erin Ivie, Jan. 1, 2014
