Heat-related death leads to OSHA citation for roofing contractor

A Missouri roofing contractor is facing $12,471 in proposed penalties after a 47-year-old laborer died after suffering heat stroke on his third day on the job. 

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Jefferson City, Missouri-based roofing contractor Weathercraft Inc. for one serious violation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act's general duty clause following its investigation into the August incident, the agency said Thursday in a statement. The laborer collapsed and died after being hospitalized with a core body temperature above 107 degrees, according to the release. 

The investigation determined that the heat index was about 90 degrees when he collapsed, according to the press release.

"His needless death underscores how critical it is for employers to ensure that workers are acclimated to heat conditions,” Karena Lorek, OSHA's acting area director in Kansas City, Missouri, said in the statement.

A company spokesperson could not be immediately reached for comment.