OSHA fines Florida roofing contractor for fall violations

Posted By: Steve Barnes August 12, 2019

ConDig (12-Aug-19).  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has fined a Florida-based roofing contractor $274,215  for exposing employees to fall and other safety hazards at two Florida construction sites in Lutz and Palmetto.

The agency said that it cited Brad McDonald Roofing & Construction Inc. following inspections at both worksites that found employees improperly using fall protection while performing roofing activities. 

OSHA said the company was not ensuring employees tied-off to anchor points or used fall arrest systems correctly. It also cited the company for allowing employees to use nail guns without the use of eye protection. 

It noted that it had inspected the company nine times since 2014, each resulting in citations for violating OSHA’s residential fall protection standards.

“Employers have a legal requirement to protect workers,” said OSHA area director Les Grove. “Employers are required to train workers on how to properly use equipment and recognize on-the-job hazards. Being vigilant about safety can prevent injuries and save lives.”

Brad McDonald Roofing & Construction has 15 business days from receipt of the citations (view them here and here) and proposed penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Commission. 

Last month, OSHA fined a St Louis-based contractor $212,158 for exposing employees to trench engulfment hazards as they installed concrete storm water pipes on a project in St Louis, Missouri.

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.