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

PROBLEM The study examined risk factors for fatal versus serious injuries of construction workers' falls through roofs. METHOD Fatal injury falls (N = 10) were matched against serious injury falls (N = 10), and descriptive analyses were carried out retrospectively of investigation reports. RESULTS 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. SUMMARY Risk factors for fatal and serious roof fall injury incidents differ in terms of farm/nonfarm location, time of day, and use of PPFPE. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY Occupational injury incident surveillance systems need to collect data systematically regarding the status and role of personal protective equipment (PPE).