ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Electrician found dead after two days in ceiling

the buddy system leaves us one man band acts something to desire here...

Good Lord!,
This is not the way that I would like to exit this world, the ultimate insult to a veteran electrician.
It seems to me that there has been a real break-down in communication in this case.
But, not wishing to kick a guy when he is down, I can't help but think, that even though he was working alone in a roof space, he should have told someone where he would be working and what time he would be out of the roof.
Surely someone at the store must have known that he was working up in the roof.
Would there not be a step ladder or even a lead-light cord near the access way into the roof space?.
The need for a Plan B, if you work alone, is very important, in case something does go wrong.

My sympathy goes out to this man's family and friends, too. I suspect this hard-working soul was one who felt it was his duty to disturb as few people as possible and to work 'behind the scenes' rather than make his presence known, especially in a posh environment where a tradesman performing work might be less welcome. There should be a safety policy where work such as this (confined space, after-hours, etc) should only be done by a pair of workers to improve the likelihood of assistance or emergency aid. I know a lot of people prefer to work alone but a company such as Macy's ought to have enough budgeted to cover the cost of a second worker given the alternative cost of risk and it should already be an element in their risk management plan. A car in the parking lot ought to be a clear indication of a situation needing further attention, regardless of whether a person MIGHT be working elsewhere.