Three Massachusetts roofers hospitalized after substandard scaffold breaks
A.C. Castle/Daryl J. Provencher faces nearly $300K in OSHA fines
Three roofing workers employed by Provencher Home Improvement of Beverly, Massachusetts were hospitalized after a two-story fall from a scaffold platform that broke beneath them, OSHA inspectors have determined. The incident occurred, inspectors said, because a spruce plank used as the platform could not support the workers’ weight, was not graded for scaffold use, and the plank’s invoice was clearly marked “not for scaffold use.”
OSHA found numerous violations in its inspection and has cited the company’s owner Daryl J. Provencher with fines totaling $294,500. The incident underscores the severity of fall hazards in the construction industry. Each year, hundreds die as a result of falls, many of which are preventable when proper safety rules are observed.