Contractor Cited Twice in Six Months for Exposure to Fall Hazards
Employees exposed to fall hazards are at risk of serious injuries and even death.
A roofing contractor has decided to ignore OSHA citations and fines by continuing to put workers at risk of serious fall hazards. According to an OSHA press release, an investigator observed six roofers atop a six story duplex on Nov. 2, 2021 without fall protection just six months after the contractor’s last citations in June 2021.
OSHA found that Apple Roofing Solutions LLC had failed to provide fall protection equipment to workers, training them on its use and provide a ladder that extended at least three feet about the landing surface. The agency issued one willful, one repeat, and one serious violation with penalties amounting to $49,722 for the November investigation.
Prior to that, in June of 2021, OSHA cited the company for the same hazards, identified during an inspection at a different job site. Proposed penalties at that time were $21,140.
“Apple Roofing Solutions continues to show a flagrant disregard for the safety and well-being of its workers, and the law. Fall hazards make roofing work among the construction industry’s most dangerous jobs and among OSHA’s most frequently cited hazards,” said OSHA Area Director Robert Bonack in Appleton in the press release. “While this company seems willing to ignore the dangers of falls and the potential for serious injuries, debilitation or worse, OSHA will hold Apple Roofing Solutions, and other employers like them, accountable for failing to meet the legal requirements to provide safe working conditions.”
OSHA and other safety-related organizations have tried to create awareness around the dangers of working at heights without proper training or equipment. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1,008 construction workers died on the job in 2020 with 351 of those related to falls from elevation.
The agency suggests all contractors use their “stop falls” webpage to find safety information as well as video presentations in both English and Spanish.