Avsat, Inc.: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Dec 26, 2024 (fatal): Employee falls from roof while installing security cameras a

At 12:00 a.m. on December 26, 2024, two employees (Employee #1 and a coworker) of a security system installation company were locating and identifying security cameras on the flat roof of a commercial structure leased by another company. The building had two roof levels ranging from 19 feet 6 inches to 24 feet above a paved parking lot, with parapet walls of varying heights (approximately 10 inches, 20 inches, and 48 inches) around the edges. Neither employee was provided with or was wearing fall protection. The coworker accessed the roof through a mechanical room service hatch and began identifying a camera on the north side of the facility by attaching a device that transmitted an audible tone through the camera's data cable to Employee #1, who remained in the mechanical room to label the corresponding cable. When the coworker moved to the south side of the roof and found the camera there transmitted to a different mechanical room, he returned to consult Employee #1. The coworker requested a taller ladder to reach the lower roof section, but none was retrieved. Employee #1 then accessed the lower roof level to continue identifying cameras near the northwest corner of the building. Approximately 15 minutes later, the coworker attempted to call Employee #1 by phone and was informed by employees inside the commercial building that Employee #1 had fallen from the roof and was lying unconscious in the parking lot. The fall was not witnessed. The employee was discovered by tenants leaving the building after a meeting. Emergency services were called, and Employee #1 was pronounced dead at the scene.