WAPATO, Wash. — A Wapato roofing company has been issued a citation by the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) after one worker fell through a skylight and died.
L&I found that Leslie & Campbell Inc. did not ensure the skylights were guarded on a project site.
L&I said these skylights were unguarded for eight days. On April 21, an employee fell through the skylight, which was nearly 26 feet off the ground, and landed on the concrete floor below.
“Falls continue to be the leading cause of death of construction workers in Washington and across the country. The death of a roofer in Wapato after falling through a skylight resulted in the latest in a string of roofing citations issued by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) in recent months,” L&I wrote in a press memo.
According to L&I’s complaint, of the three violations listed, one was serious and the other two were “willful serious.”
“L&I’s 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,” L&I wrote.
As a result, L&I issued a near $49,000 penalty against Leslie & Campbell Inc.
Leslie & Campbell Inc. is disputing the citation, according to L&I.
“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.
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