Two times in three days, OSHA inspectors witnessed Premier Roofing Company LLC and its sub-contractor Walter Construction LTD exposing workers to falls. On Dec. 21, 2015,
It all began when OSHA responded after receiving a complaint about employees in danger of falling as they installed shingles on a three-story, multi-family building. On Dec. 23, 2015, investigators returned to the site and found employees still exposed to the same hazards.
As a result, OSHA cited Premier Roofing – the controlling employer – for two repeat violations for exposing workers to fall hazards repeatedly and five serious violations for not protecting workers from head and eye hazards; and raising workers on a platform without rails atop a forklift to the roof. Walter Construction was cited for seven serious violations for also for not protecting workers from head and eye hazards, the same forklift hazards, not training employees on the hazards associated with scaffolds; the recognition and avoidance of fall hazards; and using an extension ladder that did not extend at least three feet above the landing.
OSHA has fined Premier Roofing Company LLC $90,860 and Walter Construction LTD $16,800.
"Even after being told by OSHA inspectors of the dangers, two employers at the same worksite ignored the warnings and exposed workers to obvious safety hazards twice in three days," said David Nelson, OSHA's Area Director in Englewood, Colorado. "Blatant disregard for worker safety can lead to disaster. Violating the law will not be tolerated."
Headquartered in Denver, Premier Roofing also has offices in Colorado Springs and Fort Collins, Colorado; Kansas City, Kansas; and Chicago. It services the majority of Colorado, southern Wyoming, eastern Kansas, western Missouri and northern Illinois. Walter Construction specializes in roofing in the Denver area.