Importance of Fall Protection Skylights

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Young College Student Fell Through Skylight

The linked article below discusses a case where a young college student fell through a skylight at a party. One of the interesting aspects of this situation was the fact that the building owners or contractor had actually removed the skylight glazing and installed plywood over the opening.

To be accurate the woman fell through an opening in the roof that had been inadequately covered with plywood. The plywood had been installed during remodeling construction work, and being new supported weight properly. But it appears that weather and deterioration played a part until the fateful moment that one person’s weight wouldn’t hold it anymore.

Ironically, we see similar articles from time to time about people falling through inadequate skylights. Acrylic glazing does not hold the weight of a person, either. I recently read an article that told about  a young man at a college party that was jumping up and down on the acrylic skylight until suddenly he was no longer on the roof but laying on his back inside the building, injured.

There are glazing materials that are used in fall protection skylights and building owners should periodically have their skylights checked by a qualified skylight consultant or expert to insure they meet codes, even if they are covered with other materials.

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