Lee County police have identified 61-year-old Rolando Rives as the construction worker killed in a job site accident in Fort Myers, FL, last week.

According to investigators, the accident occurred on November 6 at a construction site at 16000 Indy Drive. Lee County police haven’t provided any more details about Rives’ death, but they confirmed that it was “accidental.”

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is also investigating the incident.

Another construction worker death was reported in Volusia County the next day. A worker reportedly died after falling from the eighth floor of a condominium in Ormond-by-the-Sea.

According to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, the accident occurred on the morning of November 7 at the Aquarius Oceanfront Condo on 1575 Ocean Shore Boulevard. Police were called to the condominium at around 10 a.m. about a worker who had died after falling eight stories.

The worker had reportedly been harnessed to an object at the top of the building. Police found the harnessing equipment on the ground, indicating that the harness had failed and caused the worker to drop to his death.

The identity of the deceased worker hasn’t been released. Volusia County police and OSHA are both investigating the fall. The sheriff’s office said the death so far looks to have been a “tragic accident.”

According to statistics from OSHA, that worker’s death marks the 15th fall-related fatality in Florida in 2019. OSHA categorizes fall-related deaths as one of the “fatal four” accidents that are responsible for more than half of construction worker deaths every year. For example, out of the 971 construction worker deaths reported in 2017, 59.9 percent were caused by the fatal four. Here’s a breakdown:

• Falls – accounted for 381 or 39.2 percent of total deaths in construction in 2017.
• Struck by an object – accounted for 80 or 8.2 percent of fatalities.
• Electrocutions – accounted for 71 or 7.3 percent of deaths.
• Caught in between or compressed by machinery – accounted for 50 or 5.1 percent of deaths.

OSHA’s guidelines require employers to plan ahead for projects that involve working from heights, and decide how the job will be done, what type of tasks will be involved, and what kind of safety equipment will be needed to complete each task.

In addition to providing safety equipment, employers must also train every worker on how to safely use the tools they need to do their job. Employers must also train workers to recognize the hazards of a particular job.

Employers are required by law to pay for workers’ compensation policies that covers any injuries suffered on a job site. As a result, workers who are injured in the job are entitled to a workers’ compensation claim. In cases like this, it is important for the injured worker or the family of a deceased worker to hire an attorney to make sure they receive fair financial compensation from the victim’s employer.

South Florida Workers’ Compensation Attorney

If you or your loved one was injured at a job site, you should hire an attorney. Contact us for a free initial consultation and work with one of South Florida’s most experienced workers’ compensation defense attorneys

Sources: 11.6.19 Death investigation under way near heavy machinery in Fort Myers.pdf & 11.7.19 Worker killed after falling from eight story in condominium.pdf