Worker Complaint Leads to $61,800 Fine against Roofing Firm
OSHA has cited Domack Roofing LLC of Stratford, Conn., for alleged willful, serious, and repeat violations of safety standards at a New Haven, Conn., worksite. The roofing contactor faces $61,800 in proposed fines following an OSHA inspection prompted by an employee complaint.
The agency found that Domack employees were exposed to falls from 40 to 60 feet while working without fall protection on the third floor and the roof of a building at the site. Additional fall hazards were posed by the lack of stair rails and guardrails on the stairways and landings used to access the building's upper floors, the use of a ladder that did not extend three feet beyond its landing surface, and lack of employee training. Employees also were exposed to possible electric shock or burns from a temporary lighting lamp that was not guarded against accidental contact, OSHA said.
"Falls are the number one killer in construction work," said Robert Kowalski, OSHA's area director in Bridgeport, Conn. "A lack of fall protection and training leaves employees just a slip or a misstep away from a deadly or disabling plunge."
Specifically, OSHA issued Domack two willful citations, with $56,000 in fines, for the lack of fall protection; four serious citations, with $3,800 in fines, for the training, ladder, and lamp hazards; and one repeat citation, with a $2,000 fine, for failing to train the third floor balcony employee to recognize fall hazards. OSHA cited the company in December 2007 for similar hazards at a Bridgeport worksite.
Domack has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to meet with OSHA or to contest them to the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.