Contractor Faces $414K in Fall Protection Fines
Originally Published by: OSHA — November 30, 2022
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Twice in six days in June 2022, federal safety inspectors observed a Middlefield roofing contractor exposing workers to deadly fall hazards at two separate job sites in Tallmadge and Columbia Station, continuing a pattern of disregard for workplace safety dating back to 2019.
Following its June investigations, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed $363,890 in penalties for C.R.H. Roofing LLC after the agency identified four willful and two repeat violations during inspections on June 3 and June 9, 2022. With these additional penalties, the company now owes more than $414,000 in OSHA fines for its workplace safety failures.
At both worksites, inspectors observed roofing workers at heights greater than 6 feet without fall protection and lacking eye protection while using pneumatic nail guns. The company also allowed ladders to be used improperly.
After three previous inspections in 2019 and 2021, OSHA assessed C.R.H. more than $51,000 in penalties, which remain unpaid. OSHA has placed the company in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program.
"Despite being warned on June 3, 2022, that their failures to protect workers from falls violated federal law, C.R.H. Roofing scoffed at OSHA inspectors, and six days later, we found them committing the same violations," said OSHA Area Director Howard Eberts in Cleveland. "Too many roofers die each year needlessly because their employers fail to use fall protection. This employer continually refuses to protect its workers by following OSHA and industry-recognized safety regulations."
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 1,008 construction workers died on the job in 2020, with 351 of those fatalities related to falls from elevation.
OSHA’s stop falls website offers safety information and video presentations in English and Spanish to teach workers about fall hazards and proper safety procedures.
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.