U.S. workplace safety regulators have cited an Ohio roofing contractor for exposing employees to falls and other safety hazards and have proposed penalties totaling $138,394.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Benny’s Roofing L.L.C. after OSHA inspectors observed four roofers at a Cincinnati residential site working at heights greater than 13 feet without appropriate fall protection in December, according to an agency statement issued on Friday. Inspectors saw one employee using a rappelling rope while others used mountain-climbing harnesses.
OSHA cited the employer for failing to train workers on fall hazards and for not conducting regular inspections for job site hazards and notified the contractor during inspections in February and April 2017 that such harnesses do not meet OSHA’s requirements for fall protection, according to the statement.
“Employers are responsible for ensuring employees are adequately protected from the hazards that exist at their worksites,” Ken Montgomery, OSHA Cincinnati Area Office Director, said in the statement. “This employer’s repeated failure to comply with federal safety requirements is exposing employees to injuries from fall hazards.”
A company spokesperson could not be immediately reached for comment.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Wednesday it has cited a framing contractor for exposing employees to fall and eye safety hazards. The company, Omar Garcia faces proposed penalties of $113,073.