A 15-year-old boy died on his first day of work for an Alabama roofing company when he fell about 40 feet, Cullman police said.
Police said the teen was working on the roof of the Cullman Casting Corp. on Monday when he stepped through insulation and plummeted to the concrete floor in the old factory, the Cullman Tribune reported.
The approximately 40-foot fall occurred on the boy's first day of work for W&W Restoration, according to WIAT.
Police said he was not wearing a safety harness when he fell through the roof, per WBRC.
"I talked to the foreman, and he said that every morning he issues safety equipment," Cullman police officer Chuck Shikle said, according to the Cullman Tribune. "Some choose to use it, some _ most _ choose not to use it."
Because the teen is a minor his name is not being released to the public, but he has been identified as a native of Guatemala who lived in Vestavia Hills, al.com reported. That is about an hour away from the construction site where he died.
Police said the teen's brother was working with him at the time of the deadly fall, and they think he is the boy's only family, per WIAT.
Foul play is not suspected in the teen's death, but police are continuing to investigate, al.com reported.
"At this time there's nothing to lead us to believe it's anything other than an accident," Lt. Todd Chiaranda said, according to the website.
The Alabama Department of Labor said teens as young as 14 can have summer jobs, according to state law, but "no one under 18 should work on or in connection with roofing operations," per the Cullman Tribune.
