Duty of Care

On Thursday, October 29, 2026, a man working on the roof of the WinCo Foods store on Plaza Parkway in Modesto, California, fell about 50 feet through a skylight, the Modesto Fire Department said, as reported by CBS Sacramento and FOX40. Fire officials said he landed on materials on product racks before falling to the floor, and he was taken to a hospital with moderate to major injuries.

FOX40 reported that the worker was servicing an HVAC unit and accidentally stepped on a skylight, and that fire crews responded around 2:26 p.m. Officials have not said who employed him. CBS Sacramento said it had reached out to WinCo and to Cal/OSHA for more information.

A skylight is a hole in the roof with a thin cover that will not hold a person. Before anyone walks a roof to service equipment, the skylights and other openings on the way to the work need to be found and protected with screens, covers rated for the load, or guardrails, or the worker needs fall protection. Check whether the route to rooftop units is marked, whether the skylights along it are guarded, and whether service contractors are told about them before they go up.

• CBS Sacramento
• FOX40 (via BayAreaDailyNews)