On April 14, 2023, a construction worker named Noe Diaz-Gamez was tragically killed after falling through a roof he had been working on in Glen Cove, New York. Our deepest condolences go out to his family and loved ones, as the death of a 26-year-old is a profound and senseless loss. Gamez lived in Huntington Station, an area in western Suffolk County only about fifteen miles away from the work site.
According to MSN, the accident happened around 11:50 a.m. at a commercial building located on Garvies Point Road. Patch reports that Gamez had been replacing metal pieces on the roof when he fell through it, landing on the concrete floor below. First responders could not treat his serious head injuries, and a police helicopter airlifted him to North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset. Unfortunately, the damage was so severe that hospital staff could not save his life; he was pronounced dead soon after arrival.
Several authorities have investigated the scene, including the Glen Cove Police Department, the Homicide Bureau of Nassau County, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Lt. John Nagle of Glen Cove Police announced that the fall was a workplace accident with no evidence of criminality.
The Severe Risks of Roofing Work
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), roofing is one of the most deadly activities for workers. Recent data shows that roofers have a higher fatal injury rate than pilots, steel workers, or drivers, with 47 deaths reported nationally in 2020 and 59 in 2021. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found that falls to a lower level (such as from a roof) accounted for over one-third of lethal falls within construction for 2020.
Several factors should be carefully considered in a horrific event such as the Glen Cove accident. NIOSH specifies some forms of negligence commonly leading to workers falling from roofs. First, all workers should be provided with a stable and safe place to perform their job. When a worker is on a roof, it is incumbent upon those responsible for job site safety to confirm that the roof can support those working on it. Any part of the roof that appears unstable must be corrected before a tragic accident occurs. Proper planning and safety evaluation would likely have saved this man’s life.
Fall arrest systems like harnesses may have been set up incorrectly or not provided. Additionally, a harness is only as effective as its tie-off location. A sturdy and available tie-off point should be provided for each worker laboring at a great height.
Or perhaps there was a lack of training, which can also be hazardous. Finally, no worker should be directed to complete tasks on a roof alone. Any of these elements may have contributed to the tragedy on Friday.
While it remains to be seen if the roof caved in, wall and roof collapses are a major concern for construction workers. Whenever people are working on a roof, its condition should be inspected beforehand and regularly monitored for changes caused by weather conditions like heavy rainfall. Collapses can also be traced to various engineering and procedural flaws that push a structure’s load-bearing capacity beyond its limits. OSHA outlines dozens of instances where these errors had devastating consequences for workers.
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