Ithaca construction workers falls 5 stories into dumpster and survives

A NY construction worker who fell 45 to 50 feet from a roof survived after he fell in a dumpster full of debris. The 37-year-old man was working on a construction site located at 709 West Court in Ithaca, NY. The accident occurred just after 5:00 PM. The worker who was wearing a fall protection gear had just unclipped himself after finishing his work and was about to go home when he fell from the roof. He landed in a dumpster full of debris and survived.  It is not exactly clear how exactly the accident occurred and what were the extent of the injuries he suffered.

The firefighters, the police and an emergency staff in an ambulance showed up to the scene of the accident shortly after. EMS workers were able to get in the dumpster, secure the worker on a back board with a cervical collar and splint his injured arm before taking him out of it. Because of the inclement weather, it was impossible to transport the injured construction worker by helicopter to a hospital. He was transported by ambulance to a trauma center in Pennsylvania.

So far neither the name or an update on his condition have been provided. The accident is under investigation. The weather conditions might have played a role in the fall.

Falls are the most common and the most dangerous accidents in the construction industry. They are often fatal. Most recent statistics obtained by OSHA indicate that in 2018, out of 1,008 fatal accidents in the construction industry, 338 were falls. Most fall accidents are preventable. Indeed failure to provide fall protection system to employees is the violation most commonly cited by OSHA inspectors while visiting construction sites.  Campaigns such as the “National Safety Stand Down” are held nationally every year  in an effort to increase awareness about fall protection  among construction workers and their employers.

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