Dive Brief:
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited a Georgia roofing contractor, Jasper Contractors Inc., for two willful violations and fined the company $140,000 for exposing workers to falls and other job site hazards.
- OSHA reported that upon an inspection of one of Jasper’s residential projects in Jacksonville, FL, it found Jasper’s employees executing roofing work without fall protection and cited the company for failure to ensure employees were properly utilizing fall protection equipment, putting them at risk for an 8-foot fall. The agency also issued Jasper a violation for failing to make sure employees were wearing eye protection while they operated powered nail guns.
- OSHA said Jasper has a long history of safety issues and that it has previously cited the company for 34 violations as a result of 19 inspections.
Dive Insight:
"Jasper Contractors shows a deliberate lack of concern for the safety of its employees by refusing to comply with fall protection and other OSHA standards," Brian Sturtecky, OSHA's area director in Jacksonville, said in a statement. "Falls are a leading cause of death in the construction industry, and OSHA is committed to doing what it can to ensure all workers are protected."
The pursuit of fall protection violators continues to be a priority for OSHA. The agency said that, as construction activity increases, falls are still the leading cause of construction worker death.
In February, OSHA fined four contractors working on a different residential project in Jacksonville, including KB Home Florida, a total of $145,000. The companies were cited for failing to provide fall protection equipment for employees working up to 18 feet high. Also in February, OSHA cited and fined Illinois contractor Ziggy's Roofing $115,000 for subjecting workers to fall hazards at two separate work sites within a 30-day period.
