OSHA Fines Massachusetts Contractor $306,229 for Fall Hazard Violations -- Occupational Health & Safety

OSHA Fines Massachusetts Contractor $306,229 for Fall Hazard Violations

Brothers Construction Services Inc. has similar citations dating back to 2011.

By Robert Yaniz Jr.
Feb 22, 2024

OSHA has proposed $306,229 in penalties to Brothers Construction Services Inc., a Framingham, Massachusetts-based roofing contractor, for exposing workers to fall hazards.

According to a release dated Feb. 21, this is not the first time the company—which operates under several names, including Brothers Construction and Roofing and Brothers Roofing—has been cited for such violations. The latest inspection took place in August 2023 at a Boston residential site. There employees faced risks of falls up to 20 feet due to inadequate fall protection measures as well as multiple other safety breaches.

OSHA’s investigation uncovered eight willful, repeat, serious and other than serious violations, including insufficient scaffolding, an absence of ladder safety and a lack of employee safety training. Workers were also found without necessary personal protective equipment, and the company failed to provide the required injury and illness logs promptly.

“Falls remain the number one killer in construction work, year in and year out. Yet, this employer and too many others repeatedly fail to provide and ensure basic, commonsense and legally required safeguards for their employees,” OSHA area director James Mulligan in Braintree, Massachusetts, said in a statement. “Brothers Construction Services Inc.’s violations left its workers one slip, trip or misstep away from a potentially fatal incident.”

Brothers Construction Services Inc. has faced similar citations since 2011, with violations recorded at various locations across Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The company now has 15 business days from the receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the agency’s findings.

About the Author

Robert Yaniz Jr. is the Content Editor of Occupational Health & Safety.

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