A Massachusetts roofing contractor is facing major fines for yet again placing its employees in potential life-threatening working environments.
The guilty party, A S General Construction Inc., has had repeated offenses of failing to provide their workers with both the fall protection and proper safety training that the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires.
This time, the company had employees working on an unguarded roof 26 feet from the ground, connected only by an incorrectly crafted ladder-jack scaffold.
OSHA provided a full list of hazards at the site, including a lack of safe access to the roof and scaffold, a lack of inspection of the equipment, failure to remove nails and other dangerous fragments from the worksite, and lack of protective gear such as head protection and safety glasses.
The violations, which totaled to 16, will cost the roofing company $188,760.
These violations have placed A S General Construction under OSHA’s Severe Violators Enforcement Program, which according to the agency, “focuses on recalcitrant employers that endanger workers by committing willful, repeat or failure-to-abate violations.” While under this program, OSHA has the authority to inspect the company’s other worksites at any time if they have reason to believe that violations similar to the ones listed above.
A S General Construction has 15 business days to do one of three things: accept the punishment, meet with OSHA’s area director, or make an appointment with the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission to argue the violations.