ConDig (02-Jul-18).  A Florida-based roofing contractor is facing fines of $149,662 for exposing workers to fall hazards at a construction project in Jupiter, Florida.

The agency said that it cited Sarasota-based Crown Roofing LLC for one repeat violation for failing to utilize a guardrail, safety net, or personal fall arrest systems while working at heights greater than 6 feet.

OSHA also issued additional citations for failing to have a competent person regularly inspect jobsites, materials, and equipment, and failing to maintain written certification records verifying fall protection training was provided.

“This employer is risking the safety of workers by failing to comply with fall protection requirements,” said Condell Eastmond, OSHA Fort Lauderdale area office director.

“Fall hazards are well known, but they can be eliminated when workers are trained and protective equipment is properly used.”

Crown Roofing LLC has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings.

The company was investigated by OSHA as part of the agency’s Regional Emphasis Program for Falls in Construction.

At the end of last month, OSHA fined Florida-based utility contractor Douglas N. Higgins Inc $18,659 for exposing workers to cave-in and other hazards at a Naples construction project.

A 2016 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released in December showed that the rate of fatal injuries in the construction industry increased 6% in 2016 to 991 worker deaths compared with 937 in 2015.

BLS figures showed that falls, struck by objects, electrocutions and caught-in/between accounted for 63.7% of all construction worker deaths in last year. There was a rise in total construction worker deaths for each of the “Fatal Four” in 2016.