ConDig (11-Apr-19).  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has fined a Berlin Heights, Ohio-based construction company $56,828 after an employee fell 26-foot on a construction worksite in Gainesville, Florida.

The agency cited Hiebert Bros Construction LLC after it found that the company failed to ensure that workers used fall protection systems while engaged in roofing activities, train employees on fall protection, and notify OSHA within 24 hours of the employee’s hospitalization, as required.

“Falls continue to be the leading cause of fatalities in construction,” said OSHA Jacksonville area director Michelle Gonzalez. “Providing workers with fall protection is not optional. It is required by law to prevent worker injuries and fatalities.”

OSHA initiated the inspection in conjunction with the agency’s Regional Emphasis Program for Falls in Construction.

The company has 15 business days to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Last month, OSHA fined a Dallas, Georgia-based contractor $106,078 for exposing employees to excavation hazards while installing water and sewer lines on a project in Acworth.

The agency said that it cited Corley Contractors Inc, which operates as C&L Contractors, after inspectors noticed that it had failed to install a protective cave-in system inside the excavation area and did not provide a safe means to enter and exit the trench.