He texted 'this job is dangerous af' after the first fall, then refused to clip in himself
Twelve days after watching a coworker fall through a factory ceiling, a foreman died the same way after refusing to follow safety protocols.
The case ended January 27 when a Georgia appeals court sided with the employers, saying the worker knew the risks and chose to ignore them anyway.
Cameron Bell was an electrical foreman at an SK Battery America plant under construction in Commerce, Georgia. The company was building an electric vehicle battery facility, and Bell's crew was running electrical work above the ceiling in one section of the plant.
The ceiling had 25 holes cut out for future ventilation ducts. The company had covered them with louvers that couldn't hold any weight. Step on one and you'd fall straight through.
Everyone knew the rules. Stay clipped to a safety line whenever you're more than six feet off the ground. No exceptions. Bell had been through the training multiple times and signed off on it in writing.
Then on October 23, 2020, Bell watched it happen. Another worker stepped on a louver, and it gave way beneath him. The man fell but his safety line caught him. He survived. Bell texted a video of the incident to his girlfriend with a message: "this job is dangerous af."
Work stopped for two weeks. The company held more safety meetings. Bell's employer pushed to reinforce the louvers or cover them with something stronger, but Industrial Project Innovation, which...
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