ISSAQUAH, Wash. — The worker who died Monday morning in a construction accident in Issaquah has been identified as Philip Rumsey, a longtime employee at Fairweather Masonry.
Eastside Fire and Rescue says that the 46-year-old man was working on a brick facade when he fell at the apartment building project at 7th Avenue and Gilman Boulevard.
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Rumsey was a mason who worked for a sub-contractor. The Atlas Apartments project is being built by Andersen Construction of Seattle.
Safety signs posted at the job site say fall protection is required. The man fell to his death from scaffolding.
Grief counselors were brought on site. Workers were rattled and sent home.
The area was shut down while investigators from Labor and Industries and the Issaquah Police Department tried to figure out what happened.
KIRO 7 checked safety records on the sub-contractor, Fairweather Masonry of Bellevue. According to Labor and Industries, the company's most recent inspection was in March at a construction site on Elliott Avenue in Seattle.
The investigation has not been completed.
Records show in 2015 in West Seattle an employee slipped 14 feet from a ladder. Labor and Industries investigated and did not find any violations.
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In 2012 there was a complaint at a construction site in Auburn. Record show the company was cited for not ensuring walk-around safety inspections.
Andersen Construction has had 10 inspections in the last 3 years with no violations.
A spokesperson for Anderson Construction said work would begin on Tuesday. The contractor will have a meeting for workers and a chance to meet with counselors. He said it is important for the workers to be together as they process what happened.
"They're a part of our family. When they come to our project sties we put a very high emphasis on keeping them safe, " said Eric Olson of Andersen Construction. "This is a tough day."
Cox Media Group
