Skylight Regulations Require Fall Protection Equipment

Many homeowners enjoy the additional sunshine that a skylight can bring. However, installing a skylight can be quite dangerous for construction personnel. In fact, occupational fatalities caused by falls remain a serious public health problem throughout the United States. Data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries indicate that falls are one of the leading causes of traumatic injury death in the workplace, accounting for 13.7% of such deaths (808 of 5,900) in 2001. During that year, 23 workers died in falls through skylights, 11 died in falls through existing roof openings, and 24 died in falls through existing oor openings. Most of these deaths occurred in the construction industry [BLS 2002(a)].