"fell from about six meters through a skylight...."

 

The hazards associated with working on a roof are commonly overlooked. Here is a recent incident highlighting the importance of roof safety.

The operator of an external construction company who was carrying out replacement and repair work on the roof of the (aluminium company), in the (name omitted) Industrial Estate, died at noon one day (during the last week of May 2026) as a result of a fall inside the building.

The fatal accident occurred at around 11.30 a.m. at a time when the man, 58 years old and a native of (country omitted), was carrying out an intervention on the roof of the ship to replace a skylight. He had accessed the deck by means of a lifting platform of his own company from the outside, while a colleague completed the bolting work from the inside, on the same platform, which had been introduced into the warehouse where four carpentry workers were. For reasons that are under investigation, the operator ended up falling to the floor of the warehouse from a height of about six meters through one of the skylights that provides light to the work area. The first hypothesis that was considered was that it gave way to its weight.

At first, the wife of the person in charge of the carpentry went outside asking for help in the face of the seriousness of the event from the shops located in front of the company, while the owner called (emergency services) directly. Emergency services were immediately activated with the arrival of the members of the Local Police, who were joined by the Civil Guard. Shortly after, a mobile ICU and a basic life support ambulance did so, in addition to the (local) health center.

The police officers were the first to perform basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation maneuvers, since the fall had caused a cranioencephalic trauma, although he was still breathing when they reached him. Moments later he went into cardiorespiratory arrest. Doctors and health workers spent an hour trying to revive him but it was not possible to prevent his death.

For at least half an hour, the central street in the industrial area remained closed to traffic to facilitate the intervention of emergency services.

The Civil Guard has taken over the investigation in order to clarify the causes of the fateful accident. 

We offer our sincere condolences to the deceased worker’s family, friends, and coworkers. The news media article did not state if the worker was wearing a fall assist device. When further information is put forth we will update this story.

Lastly, no worker should ever be allowed on a roof with out a hazard assessment performed and the necessary safety precautions are installed and/or the worker(s) are properly wearing their ppe including fall assist harnesses.

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