I dont think he had any control over that. I'm sure they make him go to the hospital even if he says hes fine. They're just covering there arses.
not only covering their ass but if he has problems latter on down the road then he will still be able to get treated for it. Some injuries especially ones with the back may not show up right away.
Actually, reading that, sounds like it would have hurt like hell.. 3 feet is actually a good fall if you dont catch yourself. And a trip to a hospital is usually considered a "first aid" and not an injury.. an injury costs contractors money.
Assuming this guy's torso is around 5 feet high and he fell on his back or stomach (why would they report someone falling on their feet?), then he actually fell 8 feet until contact. Then plug this into the kinematic equations and the guy hit the ground at 16 miles per hour. I can see that he would be pretty sore the next day....
