Highway Department Supervisor Falls From Bluff in Missouri

On August 21, 1997, a 44-year-old male supervisor fell approximately 30 feet from a bluff to a state highway. Construction workers were digging several pits along the top of the bluff. Concerned that the digging may dislodge several large boulders on the bluff face, they contacted the state highway department to come to the site for an inspection. The inspector, after arriving at the site, immediately proceeded out onto the bluff. He climbed up onto a large rock and crouched down on his hands and knees overlooking the edge. He apparently lost his balance and fell to the road below. The MO FACE investigator concluded that in order to prevent similar occurrences, all employers should:
ensure that all employees who are exposed to fall hazards wear fall protection equipment;
provide worker training for hazard recognition and avoidance, along with safe work practices.