FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — CJM Roofing Inc., based in West Palm, Fla., has been cited for exposing employees to fall and other hazards at three residential worksites in Royal Palm Beach and Port St. Lucie, Fla.
The contractor faces penalties totaling $291,724 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
OSHA initiated inspections in June, August and September of 2019, as part of the Regional Emphasis Program for Falls in Construction, after inspectors observed employees working on roofs without fall protection. OSHA cited the company for failing to use a fall protection system, ensure that portable ladders extend above the upper landing, require that employees wear eye and face protection when operating pneumatic nail guns, and conduct regular inspections of the jobsite.
OSHA has inspected the company five times in the past five years, resulting in repeat violations of the fall protection standard.
"Companies that fail to comply with safety and health requirements are placing workers at risk for injuries and illnesses," said OSHA Fort Lauderdale Area Director Condell Eastmond. "This employer must take immediate action by conducting required hazard assessments and correcting dangerous working conditions."
The latest figures show work injury fatalities for roofers in 2018 were more than 10 times the average rate, with falls being the leading cause of work-related death for roofing contractors.
"OSHA's educational resources are readily available to all employers and workers to understand how to provide a safe work environment and ensure compliance with the law," stated Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Loren Sweatt.
The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and proposed penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
View the full citation here.
The hefty penalty makes CJM Roofing a candidate for belonging on RC’s top 10 OSHA violations of 2019 list.
