Roofing contractor cited for fall hazards by OSHA
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A New Jersey contractor is facing proposed fines of $43,080 from federal health and safety regulators after a worker fell to his death.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued one repeat and three serious citations against Carteret, New Jersey-based S&S Roofing Inc. following an August 2015 investigation it launched after receiving a referral from the Parsippany Police Department in New Jersey that a worker fell from the roof of a warehouse, OSHA said Thursday in a statement.
S&S Roofing failed to provide workers with the proper fall protection, resulting in one repeat violation since the company was cited for a similar repeat violation in 2011, and has been cited 10 times since 2000 for comparable violations, according to the agency.
The investigation determined that the victim was using a manually operated roof hoist to lower his tool bags to the ground, which caused the hoist to tip and go over the edge of the roof. As it tipped, the hoist's boom hit the man and he fell over the roof's edge to the pavement about 25 feet below and succumbed to his injuries six days later.
“This tragic incident and unnecessary loss of a life could have been prevented had S&S Roofing properly protected its workers against falls, the leading cause of death in the construction industry,” Kris Hoffman, director of OSHA's Parsippany Area Office, said in a statement. “Compounding the tragedy, the hoist's manufacturer warns: 'Never use roof process materials as counterweight.' We determined S&S Roofing regularly used roofing materials to counterweight the hoist regardless of the warning. Workers should not have to risk their lives needlessly for the sake of a paycheck.”
A company spokesperson could not be immediately reached for comment.
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