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Worker's death leads to safety citations for Ohio contractor

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An Ohio roofing contractor is facing $116,900 in proposed penalties from federal health and safety regulators after a 53-year-old roofer died following a 40-foot fall.

The death of the employee at a commercial building site in Cincinnati could have been prevented had Hamilton, Ohio-based R&B Contractors L.L.C. provided proper fall protection, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Wednesday in a statement.

The agency cited the company for one willful, 11 serious and three other-than-serious safety citations after investigators found the worker was installing a new commercial roof without guardrails, safety nets or personal fall prevention devices, according to the agency. Other hazards found included failure to train workers about fall hazards, develop a safety and health program, designate a safety monitor, train powered industrial vehicle operators and record injuries and illnesses.

“Four of 10 fatalities in the construction industry in 2014 were the result of a deadly fall,” Ken Montgomery, OSHA’s area director in Cincinnati, said in a statement. “Falls are a leading cause of death for construction workers and can be prevented with proper fall protection. Yet another worker has died needlessly because his employer failed to protect his safety. This has to stop.”

A company spokesperson could not be immediately reached for comment.

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