OSHA Cites Massachusetts Roofing Contractor for Fall Protection Violations

OSHA Cites Massachusetts Roofing Contractor for Fall Protection Violations

OJR Construction Inc. was cited for leaving workers vulnerable to safety hazards.

OSHA investigators have concluded that a Watertown, Massachusetts-based roofing contractor OJR Construction Inc. failed to implement necessary safety measures, resulting in the tragic death of an employee in Brighton in September 2023. 

According to a recent release, OJR Construction faces penalties totaling $88,721 for violations related to fall hazards. At a work site in Brighton, Massachusetts, the agency found OJR Construction Inc. willfully neglected to provide essential safeguards, such as safety nets, personal fall arrest systems, and guardrail systems. The company also lacked a comprehensive training program to educate employees on fall hazards.

Other violations included in OSHA’s decision include a failure to install guardrails on scaffolds or assess the tipping weight of scaffold planks, inadequate extension of ladder side rails, an absence of barricades to prevent falls and struck-by hazards, absence of a person on-site to ensure fall protection usage, failure to maintain debris-free ladder access and inadequate provision of eye protection for employees using nail guns.

OJR Construction Inc. was previously cited by OSHA in both March 2017 and September 2019 for similar violations. The company has chosen to contest OSHA's findings before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

About the Author

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

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