On July 29, 2016, OSHA issued citations to a roofing contractor for two willful, two repeated and six serious safety violations. The agency opened an inspection on May 18, 2016, after inspectors observed five roofers working at a height of 13 feet (ft) without adequate fall protection. In this case, the contractor faces proposed penalties of $89,100.
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“[The employer] has shown a callous disregard for the safety of his employees and utter indifference to the law. OSHA will use every option available to us to hold him accountable for his shameless behavior,” said Aaron Priddy, OSHA’s area director in Fairview Heights. “Fall protection is always required. Preventable falls cause the deaths of construction workers more than any other hazard.”
The employer’s extensive history of federal workplace safety violations extends back to 2006. Currently in default on $267,900 in federal penalties, OSHA has cited him 19 times under various company names in the past decade for failing to protect workers from fall hazards—the construction industry’s most lethal danger. Statistics show falls cause four of every 10 deaths in the industry.