Dive Brief:
- The death of Ricardo Ramirez Aguas, 20-year-old Mexican construction worker on a new home site in Augusta, GA is being investigated by OSHA. An OSHA representatitve in GA told the Augusta Chronicle that fall accidents account for "30 to 40 percent of all the fatal accidents that OSHA investigates here in Georgia."
- Falls, the majority of which OSHA says can be prevented, continue to be one of the leading causes of worker deaths in the country.
- Because of a language barrier between the coroner's office and the framing crew, details of the accident were not immediately available. No one on the crew, which included the deceased man's relatives, said they saw him fall.
Dive Insight:
Fall protection, railings, nets, harnesses, is required when working at a height of 6 feet above ground. Aguas was working with the framing crew on the second story when he fell 20 feet onto concrete.
Another issue, which came into play during the investigation is language.
"It all falls back on the employer," the OSHA rep said. "If all they hire are Spanish-speaking employees, either they need to be speaking Spanish also or have a translator so the communication can be effective."