OSHA Fines Illinois Contractor for Repeated Fall Protection Violations

OSHA Fines Illinois Contractor for Repeated Fall Protection Violations

Miller Building Systems LLC faces $354,912 in proposed penalties.

  • By Robert Yaniz Jr.
  • Jul 18, 2024

A construction contractor in Illinois faces $354,912 in proposed penalties for repeatedly exposing workers to deadly fall hazards. OSHA inspectors cited Elmer Miller—operating as Miller Building Systems LLC—for four willful violations observed at sites in Mahomet and Savoy.

According to a recent release, OSHA noted the violations on January 11, January 26, March 13, and May 2 at various residential construction sites. Workers were seen standing, climbing and walking on trusses and top plates without proper fall protection, sometimes at heights exceeding 18 feet. When fall protection was used, it was often improperly secured, rendering it ineffective.

“By law, workers must use fall protection whenever they work at heights six feet or greater. For that fall protection to be effective, it must be worn correctly, secured and tied off,” OSHA Area Director Edward Marshall in Peoria, Illinois, said in a statement. “Without legally required safeguards, a slip, trip and fall can determine whether an employee’s shift ends safely, or their life ends tragically.”

Since 2019, OSHA has cited Miller Building Systems LLC 17 times for fall-related infractions, including seven citations in 2023 alone. The company is currently contesting the 2023 citations and is awaiting a hearing before an administrative law judge with 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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