A Waukegan-primarily based roofing organization with a heritage of violating federal protection expectations has been cited all over again by OSHA for “exposing workers to fatal tumble dangers,” federal officials mentioned.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Security and Wellbeing Administration (OSHA) explained on Tuesday that Joshua Herion, the operator of ECS Roofing Pros, is dealing with proposed penalties of $360,531.
In Oct, an OSHA inspector noticed a foreman and two roofers atop a Hoffman Estates business developing operating at heights of up to 20 ft off the ground with insufficient tumble security, OSHA explained in a statement.
Just 10 days later, an OSHA inspector noticed a crew of three doing work at heights higher than 12 ft atop a residential making in Waukesha, Wisconsin, with no drop protection machines.
OSHA identified ECS Roofing Professionals unsuccessful to equip staff with adequate fall safety gear, train employees on its use, provide risk-free accessibility to a ladder jack scaffold system and be certain head and eye protection have been utilized, the assertion said.
The company issued a single willful, four repeat and 8 significant violations.
OSHA’s Chicago North Place Director Angeline Loftus, who investigated the Hoffman Estates task web page, claimed in the two of the incidents the foreman left the web site and directed other people to do so when OSHA inspectors commenced asking issues about their safety treatments.
“This defiant act demonstrates Joshua Herion and his company’s disregard for the basic safety and properly-being of staff and the regulation,” Loftus explained.
“Fall hazards make roofing perform between the development industry’s most unsafe careers and among OSHA’s most regularly cited safety hazards,” Loftus extra.
Considering that 2014, ECS Roofing Industry experts has been cited 7 moments by OSHA for related dangers at other position web pages, officers reported.
The enterprise has failed to respond to OSHA’s requests for info, has not responded to citations from earlier inspections and has experienced $139,656 in unpaid OSHA penalties referred to debt collection, OSHA stated.
“While ECS Roofing Professionals appear to be keen to overlook the risks of falls and the possible for major injuries or even worse, OSHA will maintain Joshua Herion and other roofing contractors accountable for failing to meet up with the legal specifications to deliver harmless working ailments,” claimed OSHA’s Area Director Christine Zortman, who investigated the Waukesha job web site.
“Fall injuries and fatalities are preventable with the right use of basic safety tools and education,” Zortman explained.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics noted that 1,008 design personnel died on the position in 2020 with 351 of those people fatalities owing to falls from elevation.
ECS Roofing Experts has 15 enterprise times from receipt of its citations and penalties for the Hoffman Estates website and the Waukesha web-site to comply, request an informal conference with each of OSHA’s place directors or contest the findings ahead of the independent Occupational Protection and Overall health Assessment Fee.