William Patrick Roberts, 38, of Minneola Fla, passed away June 17 2004 while installing cable in a home in Clermont Fla. He was doing work in the attic at the time.
This guy was working as a subcontractor for Brighthouse. The story in the local paper was brief but mentioned that the homeowner "checked" on Roberts several times while he was in the attic which I believe is B.S. He was in the attic for almost an hour before the customer realized something was wrong.
We as subcontractors here in Central Fla are not only REQUIRED to do attic work but we are REQUIRED to carry 5' flex bits on our trucks to drill through fire breaks or "cats" in walls...FOR NO ADDITIONAL PAY! Refuse a job because of attic work and you can count on repercussions if not termination.
The liability factor alone should warrant custom pay. Just having to carry a step ladder through a house is risky business not to mention that once up in an attic there's all kinds of crap and nonsense that can cause an accident. Insulation hides water lines, low voltage and telephone wiring etc., which can be easily damaged by stepping on them. Then there's shoddy woodwork that breaks under your weight sending a foot or sometimes an entire body through a ceiling which I've seen on numerous occasions.
After Mr. Roberts died, Brighthouse did not submit any statements to any of the contractors that I am aware of. Our office in particular had an informal "safety" meeting the brunt of which was just reminding us to drink lots of water!! There was NO mention that we as subcontractors have the RIGHT TO REFUSE work that we feel is hazardous. Tell a homeowner that you will not go in the attic because it's 98 degrees outside and the attic is probably 120 degrees or better and they'll have customer service on the phone so fast it'll make your head swim!
I realize that not all attic work is all that difficult, Mr. Roberts case is the rare extreme end of the issue. It's just the fact that it's taken for granted that we are expected to do work that other trades either refuse to do or get paid handsomely to do. Call an electrician or the phone company to run a line in an attic to an interior wall sometime just for grins....
Installer dies in attic
Member #: 31432
Registered: 6/25/2004
Posted:
217
Name:
Doughnut
Occupation:
CATV/SAT Tech
Location:
Florida
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