Everybody seems to think that we’re invincible.  At least I used to think that.

So begins a digital story about Joe, a roofing supervisor in California who died tragically after he fell through a warehouse roof skylight while on the job. He fell 30 feet onto a floor, and died from his injuries.

The California Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (CA/FACE) program produced a five-minute ‘digital story’ with two of Joe’s co-workers highlighting the events that led up to his death and what could have been done to prevent it.  The moving video will be used by roofers and others in trainings to prevent similar fatalities from occurring.  Watch the skylight video.

The video will be promoted as Workers Memorial Day events commemorate workers who gave their lives for their work and highlight efforts to prevent workplace deaths.  Workers Memorial Day is April 28.

Joe’s story is featured in a Workers Memorial Day publication produced by Worksafe, a California-based organization dedicated to eliminating workplace hazards.  Worksafe has produced its third annual report, “Dying at Work in California.”  The report will be released at an April 26 Workers Memorial Day Commemoration in Oakland.

SoCalCosh and other groups will hold an April 25 Workers Memorial Day Commemoration in Los Angeles.

This CA/FACE video and a previous digital story about a solar installer who died when he stepped backwards off a roof have been promoted by the Federal OSHA and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Campaign to Prevent Falls in Construction.  Information about all of the CA/FACE videos can be found here.

CA/FACE is a program within the Occupational Health Branch of the California Department of Public Health.