OSHA Finds Workers Up to 20 Feet High with No Fall Protection, Cites Ohio Roofing Contractor

OSHA Finds Workers Up to 20 Feet High with No Fall Protection, Cites Ohio Roofing Contractor

The contractor now faces citations for five violations and $300,144 in proposed penalties.

An Ohio roofing contractor is facing $300,144 in proposed penalties after OSHA found workers exposed to fall hazards.

According to a news release, eight workers were found without fall protection working up to 20 feet high on a residential structure in June 2022. OSHA also found that the company, Altogether Roofing LLC, did not have an “accident prevention program” and did not offer “ladder usage and fall hazard” training. In addition, ladders were used improperly and eye protection was not given to workers.

For these, OSHA cited Altogether Roofing for three willful, one repeat and one serious violations and proposed penalties of $300,144.

“Altogether Roofing shows a callous disregard for the safety and well-being of its workers and continues to expose them to the risks of serious, debilitating and potentially fatal fall injuries,” said OSHA Area Director Todd Jensen in Toledo, Ohio, in the news release. “This employer, and others who continually put people in jeopardy can face our full legal powers to hold them accountable.”

More than one in three construction deaths in 2020 were from falls to a lower level, OSHA reported. In this industry, fall protection is necessary when working at heights of six feet or more.

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.

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