Roofer Fined $45,000 for Fall Hazards

03.18.2013
HR & Safety

A Connecticut-based roofing contractor is facing a total of nearly $45,000 in proposed fines, chiefly for fall hazards identified during an inspection by OSHA’s Bridgeport Area Office.

The agency found workers exposed to falls of up to 11 feet 2 inches while they installed roofing without the use of fall protection. The workers had not been trained to recognize fall hazards and workers using a pneumatic nail gun were not wearing eye protection. OSHA had cited the contractor in 2008 and 2009 for similar hazards at several work sites.

As a result of these recurring hazards, OSHA issued the employer three repeat citations with $37,400 in fines. A repeat violation exists when an employer previously has been cited for the same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, rule or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years. The contractor was also issued three serious citations with $7,480 in fines for ladder hazards and not training workers to recognize ladder hazards. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

Lack of fall protection means employees are one slip or step away from deadly or disabling falls, says OSHA.

For more information, visit OSHA’s Stop Falls webpage. The page offers fact sheets, posters, and videos in English and Spanish that illustrate various fall hazards and appropriate preventive measures.

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