Painter dies after 21-foot plunge from balcony that then crushed him in Ohio, feds say

A third-floor balcony “titled suddenly” when a painter stepped onto it, sending the man falling from 21 feet high, according to federal authorities.

As the 51-year-old contractor lay injured on the concrete, that Cleveland, Ohio, apartment complex balcony slid off the wall mount and crushed him, authorities said. The painter died of his injuries.

Following the fatal work-related incident in September 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration opened an investigation, according to a March 7 news release.

Investigators learned the apartment complex’s general contractor and the subcontractor hired for balcony installation failed to place a “required warning sign” that would alert works to the balcony’s “imminent danger,” authorities said.

General contractor Geis Construction of Streetsboro and subcontractor J.C. Jones Corp. of Peninsula also failed to assess if the balcony could safely support the employees, authorities said.

“The unsecured balcony platform was unfastened and floated on wall mounts freely,” according to OSHA.

McClatchy News reached out to Geis Construction and J.C. Jones Corp. on March 7 and did not immediately hear back.

“Hazard warning signs must be displayed and balconies, exits and high-level platforms must be blocked when practical during construction to prevent anyone from using them and falling from heights or into active construction zones,” OSHA Area Director Howard Eberts, in Cleveland, said in the release. “When multiple employers have workers onsite, the general contractor is responsible for making sure that all companies on the project work safely and follow federal and industry-recognized standards to protect employees.”

Both companies were issued two citations — one willful, and one serious.

Geis Construction faces $154,696 in proposed penalties, officials said, and J.C. Jones Corp. faces $31,252 in penalties.

The companies have 15 days from when they learned of the citations to either comply, request a meeting with OSHA or contest the findings.

This story was originally published March 8, 2023 at 10:09 AM with the headline "Painter dies after 21-foot plunge from balcony that then crushed him in Ohio, feds say."