Oregon OSHA Fines Contractor for Repeat Fall Protection Violations
Oregon OSHA fined a Newberg contractor $135,407 for repeated safety violations, including failing to protect workers from fall hazards.
- By Robert Yaniz Jr.
- Dec 23, 2024
Oregon OSHA has fined Newberg-based View Top Construction LLC for repeatedly exposing workers to hazardous conditions, such as failing to ensure fall protection.
According to a recent release, the agency identified the violations—resulting in a total of $135,407 in proposed penalties—during an inspection at a job site in Hillsboro, where workers were found at risk of falling up to 17 feet without proper safeguards. The inspection was conducted under Oregon OSHA’s prevention-based emphasis program targeting fall hazards. Penalties were reduced due to the company’s size.
“When employers assign work to be done at heights, they must protect their employees from fall hazards,” Oregon OSHA Administrator Renée Stapleton said in a statement. “It is a commitment required by law. It is never an option. And workers have a right to work safely.”
The most severe citation stemmed from a failure to ensure workers were protected from falls of six feet or more, a third repeat violation and $84,996 penalty. Other violations included the improper use of an extension ladder, which failed to extend three feet above the roofline, resulting in a $38,883 penalty. The company was also cited $11,528 for failing to provide eye protection for employees using pneumatic nail guns.
Oregon OSHA noted that View Top Construction corrected the identified violations during the inspection. Nevertheless, the company has since filed an appeal.
About the Author
Robert Yaniz Jr. is the Content Editor of Occupational Health & Safety.