As a part of its try to boost consciousness on security requirements and punish those that violate them, OSHA usually names and publicizes circumstances that embrace excessive positive quantities.
In lots of situations, these citations embrace small residential builders with a historical past of repeatedly failing to supply enough safety for staff. Superb quantities are sometimes negotiated down when companies contest them.
Listed below are among the high fines highlighted by OSHA within the first quarter of 2023:
ALJ Dwelling Enchancment Inc.
Fines: $687,536
Standing: Contested
A Nanuet, New York-based roofing contractor faces practically $700,000 in fines for lack of fall and head safety violations. Three staff of ALJ Dwelling Enchancment Inc. allegedly labored on an 18-foot-high roof with out the required safety, in accordance with OSHA. The contractor was employed to take away an present roof and reinstall shingles on a residential challenge.
Two ALJ staff died on earlier tasks — one in 2019 and a second in 2022 — OSHA reported. The second fatality resulted in a $1.3 million positive. As a part of its native emphasis program round fall safety, OSHA inspectors seen the unprotected staff on a Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, jobsite in August — six months after the second fatality.
For the most recent infraction, the contractor faces 4 willful and 4 critical violations. ALJ is contesting the fines.
Building Dive contacted a quantity listed on ALJ Dwelling Enchancment’s web site with request for remark. The one who answered claimed it was a improper quantity.
Guelsin Lima (Excessive Roofing and Siding LLC)
Fines: $584,333
Standing: Issued
Trenton, New Jersey-based contractor Guelsin Lima faces 12 citations — 9 willful and three critical — and half one million {dollars} in proposed penalties for allegedly exposing staff to fall hazards, improper ladder use and failure to supply head and eye safety, OSHA introduced Jan. 12.
As a part of a neighborhood emphasis program on falls, OSHA opened an investigation into Guelsin Lima, working as Excessive Roofing and Siding LLC, on an Higher Saddle River, New Jersey, worksite in July. In the course of the inspection, OSHA allegedly noticed 4 staff uncovered to a 30-foot drop with out fall safety. Guelsin Lima was employed as a roofing subcontractor on a Toll Brothers Inc. residential challenge. The company introduced the fines Jan. 12.
Guelsin Lima has had related fines just lately, contributing to the excessive greenback quantity of the positive. In September, OSHA fined the contractor over $118,000 for lack of fall safety.
The corporate has no public web site or publicly obtainable telephone quantity, so it couldn’t be reached for remark by Building Dive.
Bowers Excavating LLC
Fines: $505,333
Standing: Issued
A Mandan, North Dakota, firm is dealing with fines over half one million {dollars} after it allegedly failed to supply correct safety to staff in trenches, OSHA reported. The company opened three inspections inside 32 days in September and October — two in Bismarck, North Dakota, and one in Mandan. The inspections resulted in three willful, 4 repeat and one critical violation.
Twice in 2022, OSHA alleges, the proprietor of Bowers Excavating piloted an excavator, supervising staff under whereas they put in municipal water traces as deep as 10 ft with out safety. The company discovered Bowers failed to make use of enough safety or secure technique of coming into and exiting the trenches, didn’t hold soil piles far sufficient from the trenches and failed to guard staff from hazards ensuing from water accumulating.
In July, OSHA launched a nationwide emphasis program on trenches following 39 trench-related deaths in 2022.
Bowers Excavating has no public web site or publicly obtainable telephone quantity, so it couldn’t be reached for remark by Building Dive.
Domingos 54 Building Inc.
Fines: $464,079
Standing: Issued
On Sept. 24, an OSHA inspector reportedly noticed staff of Ocala, Florida-based Domingos 54 Building Inc. engaged on a 15-foot-high residential roof with out fall security gear, in accordance with the company. As well as, OSHA stated the corporate had failed to coach staff to make sure they’d a transparent understanding of strategies to manage fall hazards, and located staff persevering with to work with out required eye safety.
The company stated it accomplished 11 inspections of Domingos 54 Building jobsites since February 2019, figuring out 4 willful, eight repeat, 19 critical and 4 other-than critical violations, many as a consequence of lack of fall safety. In March 2020, a 53-year-old worker suffered a 10-foot deadly fall from the roof of a Tampa residence on a Domingos 54 Building challenge.
On account of the latest inspection in September, Domingos 54 Building faces three willful and one repeat violation, totaling $464,079.
The contractor has no public web site or publicly obtainable telephone quantity, so it couldn’t be reached for remark by Building Dive.
Botticello Inc.
Fines: $375,021 — Legal Expenses
Standing: Contested
On account of a federal investigation right into a trench collapse that brought about one employee’s dying, Manchester, Connecticut-based Botticello Inc. faces over $375,000 in fines. Final month, the corporate proprietor and an tools operator have been arrested and face prison fees.
On July 22, an worker died when an 8-foot-deep trench collapsed in Vernon, Connecticut. Botticello, a web site preparation contractor, allegedly failed to supply the required safeguards required to stop the collapse. Because of this, the corporate faces three willful violations, which it’s contesting. The corporate beforehand confronted 4 critical violations from trenching work in 2015, in accordance with OSHA.
OSHA alleges the corporate did not:
- Present the ditch with a protecting system to stop it from collapsing and caving in on staff.
- Have a reliable particular person conduct inspections earlier than and in the course of the work to determine and proper any hazardous circumstances earlier than staff entered the ditch.
- Make sure the 135-foot-long trench contained adequate technique of egress to permit staff to securely exit.
On March 3, because of the investigation, the Vernon Police Division arrested Dennis Botticello, proprietor of Botticello Inc., and Glen Locke, an tools operator, on fees of first-degree manslaughter and first-degree reckless endangerment, because of the July 22 fatality.
A consultant of the corporate declined to remark.
Ridge Runner Building LLC
Fines: $234,741
Standing: Contested
Derry, New Hampshire-based roofing contractor Ridge Runner Building LLC faces over $230,000 in fines from citations throughout two totally different tasks. The alleged violations pertain to exposing staff to a 20-foot fall, ladders that didn’t lengthen a minimum of 3 ft above the roofs’ edges, failure to supply efficient fall safety coaching and lack of eye and face safety.
All advised, for alleged failures in security on Merrimack and Salem, New Hampshire, jobsites, Ridge Runner Building faces 12 violations: 5 critical, two willful and 5 repeat. OSHA beforehand cited the contractor for lack of fall safety in 2021 and 2017. Ridge Runner Building is contesting the fines.
A consultant of Ridge Runner declined to touch upon the quotation.
Safety-Luebke Roofing Inc. and JJ Roofing Co.
Fines: $168,759
Standing: Issued
An Appleton, Wisconsin, roofing basic contractor and a Kaukauna, Wisconsin, subcontractor face fines for allegedly exposing 9 staff to falls on an Appleton jobsite, in accordance with OSHA. Safety-Luebke Roofing Inc. and Jesus Robles Hernandez — working as JJ Roofing Co. — face fines of $140,633 and $28,126 respectively.
Representatives of Safety-Luebke Roofing have been on web site whereas JJ Roofing staff have been working with out fall safety, in accordance with OSHA. The overall contractor additionally reportedly did not conduct a complete web site audit and make sure the subcontracting staff wore fall safety. JJ Roofing faces penalties for failing to coach staff on fall safety, for which OSHA additionally cited the corporate in 2018 and 2020.
Safety-Luebke Roofing didn’t reply to Building Dive’s request for remark. JJ Roofing has no publicly obtainable web site or telephone quantity, so it couldn’t be reached for remark by Building Dive.
Geis Building Inc.
Fines: $154,696
Standing: Contested
A Streetsboro, Ohio-based contractor faces over $150,000 in fines for an October fatality. When a 51-year-old portray contractor at an condominium complicated in Cleveland stepped onto a balcony, it tilted instantly and brought about him to fall 21 ft under. The balcony then slid off its wall mount and landed on high of the painter, who died because of his accidents.
In response to OSHA, basic contractor Geis Building — in addition to subcontractor J.C. Jones Corp. of Peninsula, Ohio, which put in the balcony — had not positioned the required warning signal to alert staff of hazard, nor assess the balcony’s structural integrity.
Geis Building and J.C. Jones every face one critical and one willful violation. OSHA really helpful $31,252 in fines for the balcony subcontractor. Geis is contesting the fines.
Geis Building didn’t reply to Building Dive’s request for remark.
The Roof Kings LLC
Fines: $137,508
Standing: Contested
On Dec. 8, OSHA says it seen two staff on a Quincy, Massachusetts, jobsite uncovered to falls of 18 ft with out enough fall safety. The roofing contractor who employed the employees, The Roof Kings LLC, reportedly has a historical past of not defending its staff from falls, and OSHA claims the corporate reneged on a 2017 federal settlement settlement.
Because of this, The Roof Kings faces over $137,000 in fines for 4 willful violations. The contractor is contesting the fines.
Craig Galligan, proprietor of The Roof Kings, advised Building Dive the contractor has been working with OSHA to settle the fines, and employed a security specialist “mainly full-time” for the following 4 years to watch and meet with employers earlier than work begins day by day on security necessities, as a part of the settlement with OSHA.
“We’re going over above and past what we have to do for all of the OSHA necessities,” Galligan stated.