TRENTON, N.J. — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited a Trenton, N.J. roofing contractor for exposing workers to potentially fatal falls without protection.

According to a news release, OSHA opened an inspection of Guelsin Lima, operating as Extreme Roofing and Siding LLC, at an Upper Saddle River worksite on July 6, 2022. During the inspection, OSHA inspectors observed four workers on a roof exposed to a 30-foot fall hazard without fall protection, as well as additional violations at the worksite on other days that week. At the time, Lima was employed as a roofing subcontractor on a Toll Brothers Inc. residential construction project.

Following the July inspection, the agency issued Lima 12 citations — nine willful and three serious violations — and proposed $584,333 in penalties for exposing workers to fall hazards, improperly using ladders, and failing to provide head and eye protection. OSHA cited Extreme Roofing and Siding in September for similar citations.

“Guelsin Lima has a significant OSHA history and is fully aware of what OSHA standards require. This latest inspection offers further proof that the operator of Extreme Roofing and Siding LLC simply refuses to comply with the law,” said OSHA Area Director Lisa Levy in Hasbrouck Heights, N.J. “We will use our full authority to hold this employer, and others who continually put employees in danger, accountable.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 986 construction workers died on the job in 2021, with 378 of those fatalities related to falls from elevation.

Lima has 15 business days from receipt of its 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.