BALA CYNWYD, Pa. — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Webb Contractor Corp. for exposing employees to fall hazards at three separate worksites in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, area.
The roofing contractor, based in Bala Cynwyd, Pa., faces $605,371 in penalties.
According to a release, OSHA initiated an inspection on Sept. 6, 2019, after a compliance officer observed employees performing residential roofing work approximately 20 feet above grade without fall protection at a worksite in Macungie, Pa. The employer voluntarily agreed to remove employees from the hazardous condition.
OSHA later responded to complaints of fall hazards and initiated two additional inspections. The first was on Oct. 1, 2019, at a worksite in Emmaus, Pa., where employees were working 10 feet above grade without fall protection. The second took place on Oct. 11, 2019, at a worksite in Bethlehem, Pa., where employees performed roofing work on a “steeply pitched commercial roof” 12 to 24 feet above grade without fall protection.
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.
The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and 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.
