Employee’s Life Would Have Been Saved With Fall Protection Use, OSHA Says
The contractor faces citations for four serious violations and over $50,000 in proposed penalties.
- By Alex Saurman
- Apr 03, 2023
After an employee fatality last year, OSHA found that the employee’s life would have been saved if fall protection had been used, the agency said.
According to a news release, in October 2022, 13 employees were working on the top of an airport hangar in Florida. On the roof, there was a skylight, which “was being prepped for removal as part of the project.” One of the employees, a 59-year-old roofer, stepped on it and fell 25 feet when it collapsed, resulting in their death four days later.
OSHA’s inspection found that the employer did not check that employees had fall protection, regular inspections were not taking place and a hospitalization had not been reported in the required time frame. Porter Roofing Contractors received citations for four serious found violations along with proposed penalties of $53,797 following the inspection.
“Falls are a leading cause of serious injuries and death in the construction industry. There simply is no excuse for a company not to make sure every worker is equipped and trained properly,” said OSHA Area Director Jose Gonzalez in Mobile, Alabama, in the news release.