ConDig (25-Oct-23).  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has fined a Wisconsin-based roofing contractor $132,593 for exposing workers to fall hazards at a residential home project in Appleton.

The agency said OSHA inspectors observed a worker shingling a residential roof without fall protection. The worker was employed by a subcontractor, Eaglevision LLC of Elgin, Illinois.

OSHA said that Brookens Construction LLC failed to perform site inspections to make sure its subcontractors followed safety procedures, did not provide eye protection exposing workers to flying debris while using pneumatic nail guns. They also found that workers were using a damaged ladder and were not trained about fall hazards.

“Our inspector found that Brookens Construction’s project manager failed to require subcontractors working on their job sites to comply with safety and health requirements despite spending several hours at each site documenting satisfactory replacement of a residential home roofs,” said OSHA area director Robert Bonack. 

“Fall hazards are the leading cause of injuries and death in the construction industry. Employers can protect workers by following federal and industry recognized safety standards to protect workers on the job.”

OSHA cited Brookens Construction in 2019 and 2022 for similar hazards in three separate inspections. Brookens provides roofing serves in the greater Madison, Milwaukee and Green Bay areas.

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

Earlier this month, OSHA fined a Bronx water and sewer line contractor $59,153 following the death of two workers in a trench at a construction site at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Last month, OSHA fined a Georgia-based concrete pipe manufacturer $245,546 after a 19-year-old worker died inside a mixer.