Working on a pitched roof ventilation prop, serving as support for the person cutting the ventilation hole. The person cutting had driven the spike of a halogen into the plywood to use as a foothold. The foot slipped, and the person cutting fell. I dropped from a standing position to my belly to help secure the person cutting so they did not fall further. The saw fell got revved as it slid down the roof towards me. I rolled back onto the roof ladder, out of the way of the saw. A team member stopped the saw before it reached approximately waist level.
We were training on our roof prop, practicing cutting with the STIHL saw. I was frustrated since the saw kept shutting off every time I seemed to put the brake on, so I decided not to put it on anymore. While performing my cut, I had a Halligan set on the roof to work as a support, allowing me to have better leverage. Somehow, I misstepped and ended up falling with the saw running. I was able to put my arm on the way so that it wouldn’t hit the guy behind me, and eventually was able to take my hand off the trigger so the saw stopped running. I didn’t notice it right away, but then I found out my turnout gear had a cut on the wrist. Luckily, nothing major happened, and it was just a matter of gear.
Lessons Learned: I learned that keeping the brake on the saw at all times is ideal. If I had put the brake on, it would’ve been a matter of only a fall and that’s it, but since the brake was not on, it’s what made it extra dangerous. Putting the brake on every time is ideal, primarily when working on such steep roofs.
