The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued four safety citations to Allied Roofing Systems LLC, with proposed penalties totaling $64,000.
The citations follow a December 2010 OSHA investigation of an Omaha, Neb., job site where employees were exposed to fall hazards while constructing a roof, according to an April 5 OSHA news release.
The citations issued are:
- a willful citation with a penalty of $56,000 issued for allowing employees to work at heights greater than 6 feet without fall protection;
- two grouped serious citations with penalties of $5,600 issued for failing to insure that employees were trained to recognize fall hazards and appropriate abatement methods and to retrain the employees prior to exposing them to fall hazards; and
- an other-than-serious citation with a penalty of $2,400 issued for failing to record injuries and illnesses with OSHA.
Clint Tackitt, owner of Allied Roofing Systems, said five employees who were working on a housing complex in Omaha forgot their safety gear and decided that since the project was 8 feet off of the ground, the safety hazard wasn't severe enough to purchase new safety equipment.
"All of that strictly goes against the training and guidelines set forth by Allied Roofing," he said, noting the employees have been suspended from work as it was a first violation of Allied Roofing's safety policy for all five workers. Allied Roofing has a three-strike policy - suspension for the first two strikes and termination for the third.
Tackitt said he takes safety seriously, noting the company has an extensive safety manual and all employees are issued a hard hat, safety goggles and a personal fall arrest system, and they all undergo OSHA training.
According to the OSHA release, Allied Roofing has 15 days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director in Omaha or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Tackitt said Allied Roofing has scheduled an April 13 informal conference during which the company will provide documentation and photographs illustrating its safety policies and training.
"We believe most of it is going to go away," he said. "If they were to enforce this, we would appeal it."
OSHA requires that fall protection - such as guardrails, safety nets or fall arrest systems - be in place when workers are performing residential construction at 6 feet or more above the next lower level.
"Falls are a leading cause of injury and death in the workplace. It's the employer's responsibility to provide a fall protection program that ensures employees are properly trained and equipped," Charles Adkins, OSHA's regional administrator in Kansas City, said in the release. "Employers must make safety priority No. 1 and take all necessary steps to eliminate hazards from the workplace."[[In-content Ad]]
