Worker dies after fall inside wind turbine tower near Palm Springs, California

What happened

Recharge reported on 5 January 2021 that a worker fell to death inside a wind turbine tower at an unidentified project near Palm Springs, California. The worker was employed by Site Constructors Inc. The Riverside County Fire Department gave a location for the accident, while other agencies said it occurred further south. The report does not name the project or its owner, and it does not say when the fall happened, how far the worker fell, or what task was under way.

Contributing factors

Not reported. The source does not say what work was under way, whether fall protection was in use, or what caused the fall.

Lessons learned

1. A fall inside a turbine tower can be fatal, so fall-arrest equipment and climbing arrangements should be checked before work at height.
2. If agencies disagree on where an incident occurred, the site should be confirmed quickly so the response and later inquiry are not misdirected.
3. After a fatal fall, the project, the task and the cause should be established and shared with other crews rather than left unreported.

Source

Recharge (rechargenews.com)