Dive Brief:
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Massachusetts roofing company Roof King for three willful, one repeat and nine serious violations related to falls and other hazards and fined the company $124,960.
- According to an agency press release, Roof King's onsite supervisory personnel ignored an OSHA inspector's instructions as to how fall hazards could be remedied, and a subsequent inspection revealed that the company continued to put its employees at risk.
- OSHA said that among other violations, its inspector observed Roof King's employees working without fall protection at heights of more than 45 feet off the ground, on a lower, sloped roof and on ladders that did not extend at least 3 feet above landings.
Dive Insight:
"Employees should never have to risk their lives for a paycheck," said Anthony Covello, OSHA’s area director for Essex and Middlesex counties, in a press release. He said preventable falls make up approximately 40% of all construction industry deaths and that Roof King must take action to avoid serious employee injuries or death.
Fall protection continues to be a primary focus of OSHA's enforcement in construction and other industries, particularly within the roofing segment. Each year in May, the agency holds its National Safety Stand-Down week, during which companies are encouraged to take extra time and hold special events that stress the importance of fall protection rules training and adherence.
Earlier this month, OSHA cited two Queens, NY, contractors for fall and other hazards at a Manhattan job site and fined them a total of $117,170, with the lion's share of the fine ($93,170) going to W & L Group Construction for eight repeat and six serious violations.
This month OSHA also began utilizing its new penalty structure, a 78% increase from what the agency had fined contractors since 1991. As part of the latest budget bill, OSHA and other federal agencies were required to raise their fines in order to fall in line with the Consumer Price Index.
