Federal safety inspectors found the owner of a Martin, Ohio roofing company exposed roofers and other workers to the construction industry’s leading cause of death.

Less than four months after citing a Trenton, New Jersey roofing contractor for exposing unprotected workers to deadly fall hazards, OSHA is once again holding the employer responsible for putting its workers’ safety at risk.

A Philadelphia framing contractor faces $269,594 in proposed penalties after the company was again found exposing employees to deadly fall hazards at a residential worksite in the city’s Roxborough section on April 21, 2022.  

 A federal investigation into a fatal workplace injury on Aug. 19, 2021, at a Town of Oyster Bay municipal building has found a Setauket roofing contractor failed to provide necessary safeguards to protect employees against falls.

The recently updated ANSI/ASSP Z359.11-2021 standard establishes requirements for the performance, design, marking, qualification, instruction, training, test methods, inspection use, maintenance and removal from service of full-body harnesses.

It’s no surprise that safety is top of mind for every worker on every job site. And yet, falls from elevation are still happening. In fact, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), falls from elevation continue to be the leading cause of death for construction employees.¹

OSHA has cited Martin-Pinero CPM LLC – a construction contractor based in Atlanta, Georgia – for exposing employees to fall hazards after a fatal incident at a highway construction project in Atlanta. The company faces $170,020 in penalties.

Working alone and working at heights for me began years ago as an instrument technician in a large steel mill in western Pennsylvania. We always tried to work in pairs but there were occasions when I had to work alone or apart from my buddy.