MORBIDSAFETY ← Incident library ISSUE 004 / CASE 006
Fall protection · 29 CFR 1926.501Kentucky FACE 15KY078Incident: December 11, 2015 · Case released October 19, 2026

The insulation tore.
The skylight broke.

A roofer pulling fiberglass insulation lost his balance. He stepped onto a flush translucent skylight that blended into the corrugated roof. The panel broke, and he fell approximately 30 feet.

Watch the captioned filmRead the prevention controls
Anonymous AI illustration of a roofer pulling insulation toward a flush translucent skylight
006A · Before the accidentThe skylight blends into the roof.
Non-gory AI illustration of insulation tearing as an anonymous roofer loses balance toward a skylight
006B · The failure beginsThe insulation tears. His balance goes with it.
Non-gory close-up AI illustration of a work boot breaking a corrugated fiberglass skylight panel
006C · Near impactThe panel cannot support his weight.

Case File 006 · Captioned visual film

Treat every skylight as a hole.

About this film: Narrated, with on-screen captions and restrained sound design. AI-generated illustrative reenactment, not footage of the actual people, roof, employer, or workplace. The captions distinguish documented findings from professional safety analysis.

Incident basis · Kentucky FACE Report 15KY078Read the official report

Control first

Guard the hole before the crew reaches it.

Use a compliant cover or guardrail system to prevent access to the skylight hazard. Where exposure remains, add a properly planned personal fall-arrest system with a suitable anchorage and enough clearance.

01
My Safety Take

A translucent roof panel is not a walking surface. Treat every skylight as an open hole unless a competent person has verified that a compliant cover or guardrail protects it.

The documented record

What the investigation found.

Kentucky's Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation program investigated the accident. FACE identifies prevention lessons; it is not an enforcement decision.

  1. 01The work

    A crew was replacing insulation and corrugated roofing on a warehouse with a 1:12-pitch roof. Flush corrugated fiberglass skylights remained in the roof.

  2. 02The exposure

    Three roofers were on the roof approximately 30 feet above a concrete floor. None wore fall protection, and the nearby skylights were not guarded.

  3. 03The initiating event

    The roofer pulled rolled fiberglass insulation tight. The material tore, causing him to lose his balance and stagger forward.

  4. 04The fall

    He stepped onto a corrugated fiberglass skylight panel attached to the purlins. It broke under his weight, and he fell approximately 30 feet to the concrete below.

  5. 05The system failures

    FACE reported no job hazard analysis, no competent person onsite, no skylight guarding, no fall-protection training, and available personal fall protection that was not used.

What we do not know: The report does not establish the precise path of each foot or hand beyond the documented loss of balance and step onto the panel. The AI scenes illustrate the mechanism; they do not reconstruct the actual worker, exact roof layout, or final injuries.

The prevention plan

Four checks before roof work starts.

Passive protection comes first. Personal fall arrest, training, and enforcement support the system where exposure remains.

CONTROL 01

Cover or guard skylights

Install compliant load-bearing covers or guardrail systems around skylights before workers enter the exposed area. Secure and identify covers as required.

CONTROL 02

Plan the roof route

Have a competent person identify skylights, edges, material paths, anchors, and rescue needs in a task-specific hazard analysis before work begins.

CONTROL 03

Control remaining exposure

Where passive protection does not eliminate the fall hazard, use a compatible personal fall-arrest system with a suitable anchorage and verified fall clearance.

CONTROL 04

Train and enforce

Train workers to recognize roof openings and use the selected system. Supervisors must correct missing controls before allowing work to continue.

Regulatory context

OSHA treats skylights as holes.

This case directly supports the federal OSHA Top 10 fall-protection topic. The regulatory discussion is prevention context, not a claim about citations issued in the original case.

FEDERAL OSHA

29 CFR 1926.501(b)(4)

Duty to have fall protection requires protection from falls through holes, including skylights, more than six feet above lower levels by personal fall-arrest systems, covers, or guardrail systems.

SYSTEM CRITERIA

29 CFR 1926.502

Fall-protection systems criteria addresses requirements for guardrails, covers, personal fall-arrest systems, and related practices.

Kentucky operated an OSHA-approved State Plan at the time. Current federal rules are presented as educational context; Morbid Safety does not infer an enforcement finding beyond the source record.

Source ledger

Read the record yourself.

Sources checked October 19, 2026.