OH Contractor Cited After OSHA Finds Workers at Heights Without Fall Protection
The company now faces 12 violations and proposed penalties of over $1 million.
- By Alex Saurman
- Oct 14, 2022
A roofing and siding contractor was cited for 12 violations and proposed penalties over $1 million after OSHA found workers exposed to fall hazards, the agency reported.
OSHA investigated Charm Builders Ltd., of Millersburg, Ohio, in March 2022 after it received a complaint and found workers were not using fall protection at heights, some as high as 28 feet, according to an OSHA news release.
The agency cited the contractor, which works on projects in Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, for not using portable ladders safely, a lack of fall hazard training and not ensuring workers used fall protection and safety glasses, OSHA said. In total, the agency cited Charm Builders Ltd. for six egregious-willful, five repeat and one serious violations, proposed penalties of $1,090,231 and placed them on the Severe Violator list. Charm Builders Ltd. has been cited 11 other times since 2009 for “violations related to fall hazards,” the agency said.
"It is unconscionable when construction contractors put workers at risk and undercut law-abiding companies by failing to invest in basic, life-saving protections," said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker in the news release. "We will use all of our available legal powers to hold accountable employers like Charm Builders who continually put people in serious jeopardy."
In 2020, 351 workers died from falls in the construction industry or more than 33 percent of the total deaths in the industry, according to OSHA. Most people won’t find it shocking that this violation also ranked first, for the 12th year in a row, on OSHA’s list of top 10 violations for the fiscal year 2022. In September, OSHA Director of OSHA and Directorate of Enforcement Programs Patrick Kapust announced the top 10 violations at the National Safety Council Safety Congress & Expo.
About the Author
Alex Saurman is a former Content Editor for Occupational Health & Safety,who has since joined OH&S’s client services team. She continues to work closely with OH&S’s editorial team and contributes to the magazine.