Massachusetts Roofing Contractor Cited for Fatal Hazards
OSHA has fined William Trahant Jr. Construction after citing it for the fourth time in four years, according to the agency.
OSHA announced it has fined William Trahant, Jr. Construction, Inc., $43,560 for one willful, one repeat, and three serious violations of workplace safety and health standards. This is the fourth time in four years that the Lynn, Mass.-based company has been cited for exposing employees to potentially fatal falls, according to OSHA.
The violations include lack of fall protection for employees repairing an asphalt shingle roof on a three-story house, inadequate anchorage points for fall arrest lines, and not training employees to recognize and address fall hazards. An additional fall hazard came from using a damaged portable ladder, with split rails and bent rungs, to access the roof.
"Trahant Construction continues to demonstrate a wanton disregard for employee safety, exposing its employees to deadly or disabling injuries on multiple occasions," said Anthony Covello, OSHA's acting area director in Andover, Mass. "Falls are the leading cause of death in construction work. This employer must take steps to effectively train and enforce a culture of safety for himself and his employees."