Construction workers' falls through roofs: fatal versus serious injuries : Fatal versus serious injuries

The study examined risk factors for fatal versus serious injuries of construction workers' falls through roofs. Fatal injury falls (N = 10) were matched against serious injury falls (N = 10), and descriptive analyses were carried out retrospectively of investigation reports. Fatal injuries occurred predominantly on farms, in the afternoon, and without the use of passive personal fall protective equipment (PPFPE; safety net, lifeline, etc.).

In contrast, serious injuries disproportionately occurred in the morning hours, and were likely due to decreased risk perceptions and less safe behavior, possibly as the result of the greater use of PPFPE. Risk factors for fatal and serious roof fall injury incidents differ in terms of farm/nonfarm location, time of day, and use of PPFPE.

Occupational injury incident surveillance systems need to collect data systematically regarding the status and role of personal protective equipment (PPE).