Death Of 15 Year Old Roofer Is A Concern Bigger Than Just Workers’ Comp

Sometimes you can tell the level of disgust a news story will generate just by reading the headline. Such was the case with yesterday’s news, and a story whose banner read, “15-year-old dies after falling on first day of work for Alabama roofer, cops say”.

It told of the death of an underage Guatemalan boy who died in Alabama Monday after falling nearly 40 feet off of a roof. It was his very first day on the job as a construction worker.

He was, as the headline indicates, just 15 years old.

The company he was employed by had been hired to work on the roof of a gray iron factory in Cullman, AL. He fell through an unsupported section of the roof around 11AM Monday and was pronounced dead at the scene.

This story has the potential to serve as a stunning example of broader concerns in workers’ comp, from proper hiring practices to safety concerns to potential gaps in coverage....