A man fell from a roof at a property on Appleby Street in Newport Thursday morning, suffering significant injuries that led rescuers to fly him to Rhode Island Hospital. Newport police and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are now investigating the circumstances of the fall.
Accounts of the initial response differ slightly on timing. According to Fall River Reporter, the Newport Police Department and Newport Fire Department responded to the property just after 7:45 a.m., while What's Up Newp reported that crews arrived at about 7:48 a.m. following a report of a man who had fallen from a roof. Either way, responders arrived to find the man had sustained significant injuries.
Firefighters Rushed Him to a Landing Zone
Firefighters moved the injured man to a landing zone, where he was airlifted to Rhode Island Hospital, the outlet's report states. His current condition remains unknown, per the same account. WJAR also reported that the worker was transported to Rhode Island Hospital via Med Flight after suffering significant injuries in the fall.
What's Up Newp reported that no further details were released following the initial response. The circumstances surrounding the fall, including what work the man was performing and whether any safety precautions were in place, have not been disclosed by officials.
Police and Federal Regulators Now Involved
Newport police are investigating the worker's fall from the roof, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also examining the incident, according to Fall River Reporter's report. No investigation findings or citations have been announced.
Federal workplace safety rules lay out specific requirements for roofing work. Under Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations, employees performing roofing activities on low-slope roofs with unprotected sides or edges six feet or more above lower levels must be protected by fall-protection systems such as guardrails, safety nets, personal fall arrest systems, or certain combinations involving warning lines. It is not known whether those provisions apply to this incident or whether any such protections were in use at the time of the fall.
Falls remain a persistent hazard in the construction trade nationally. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported an annualized rate of 13.9 nonfatal falls to a lower level requiring at least one day away from work in the construction industry, compared with a rate of 22.6 across all private industry. The agency's figures do not offer further context connecting those rates to any individual case.
No updates on the injured man's medical condition have been released since the morning of the fall. Hoodline will update this story as more information becomes available from Newport police or OSHA.
