The company was installing a cement tile roof on a two-story new construction residential building. He took photographs from his automobile at a distance and then approached the site where he talked to the workers. Because he estimated that the fall would be from an elevation of approximately 20 feet, he believed that a death could result, and he rated the severity at death. Northwest Shake Tile is one of two Oregon companies to manufacture and install cement tile roofs. This company has been in business for 36 years and has used the same method of installation, an old European method, for the entire period.
Workers wear safety harnesses when applying the lath and lattice work.
No harnesses are worn when the tile is being applied, however, because of the danger of a line catching on the stacks of cement tile and causing them to fall down the roof and strike employees. The lath on which the workers stand is made of felt and is tacky, particularly when it is wet. The workers do not stand or walk on the cement tile. At the time of the inspection, the ground around the building was soft and muddy. In 1983, the company was cited for a similar violation by what was then the Accident Prevention Division.