A Pennsylvania roofing contractor faces $605,371 in penalties after being cited by OSHA for exposing employees to fall hazards at three separate worksites in the Lehigh Valley area.
OSHA initiated an inspection of the Webb Contractor Corp. worksites on September 6, 2019, after a compliance officer observed employees performing residential roofing work without fall protection at a worksite in Macungie, Pennsylvania. The company, which is based in Bala Cynwyd, voluntarily agreed to remove employees from the hazardous condition.
However, the enforcement action didn’t end there, because OSHA received complaints of fall hazards at other company worksites. The agency and initiated two additional inspections; one on October 1, 2019, at a worksite in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, and the other on October 11, 2019, at a worksite in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Following the three inspections, OSHA cited the company for eight willful, two repeat, and three serious safety violations for failure to provide fall protection and exposing employees to safety hazards.
“Employers must ensure that employees working from heights are provided and wear proper fall protection,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Loren Sweatt. “OSHA has educational resources readily available to help employers understand how to comply with the law.”
OSHA’s Fall Protection in Residential Construction webpage provides compliance assistance resources on reducing falls during residential construction.
