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OSHA imposes a $201K fine on a New Jersey roofing contractor for willfully exposing employees to safety hazards at his Mahwah and Elmwood Park locations.
OSHA imposes a $201K fine on a New Jersey roofing contractor for willfully exposing employees to safety hazards at his Mahwah and Elmwood Park locations.
After a garage collapsed during roofing repair, one worker sustained serious injuries.
TRENTON, NEW JERSEY – Employers are required by law to correct hazardous conditions on their premises, but a Trenton-based contractor failed to do so when one of its employees sustained serious injuries when the roof beneath him collapsed.
After two OSHA investigations in the fall of 2020, the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Osman “Alex” Inestrosa – who operates under the name Lifetime Contractor Corp. – and proposed penalties totaling $201,090.
OSHA conducted an inspection in September 2020 in response to a complaint and discovered that Inestrosa allowed a worker to perform roofing repairs at a multi-family residential complex in Mahwah without using proper safety precautions. The agency charged Inestrosa with four willful violations, including failing to protect workers from tripping and fire hazards, failing to ensure workers wore hard hats, and failing to protect workers from eye injuries. OSHA proposed a $109,224 penalty.
One month later, OSHA conducted a second inspection at an Elmwood Park apartment complex following the collapse of the roofing of a multi-car garage, injuring a roofing worker employed by Inestrosa. Inspectors discovered that Inestrosa failed to provide fall protection, hardhats, and eye protection, and permitted the use of the incorrect ladders once again. The contractor was cited by the agency for three willful and three serious violations, and the agency proposed a penalty of $91,866.
“Falls continue to be the leading cause of serious injury and death in the construction industry, and yet fall protection citations are among the most frequently issued each year,” said Lisa Levy, OSHA Area Director in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey. “This employer willfully disregarded well-known safety protocols on multiple occasions, and we will hold him accountable for failing to meet his legal obligations.”
After receiving its citations and penalties, the company has 15 business days to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
To address situations such as these, OSHA and several other government agencies are co-sponsoring the National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction, which will take place May 3-7, 2021. OSHA is requesting that construction companies pause for a moment and address the most hazardous conditions on their job sites. Businesses can use this time to discuss how to prevent falls, ensure that all employees understand how to protect themselves when working 10 feet or more above the ground, or engage in some other type of safety activity.
Source
OSHA
