The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division fined a building materials supplier $92,226 for repeatedly exposing workers to potential fall hazards that could have seriously injured or killed them.

The citation issued to ABC Supply Co. Inc. of Beloit, Wis., followed an inspection of a job site in Salem on June 24 where the company was supplying roofing materials.

According to a news release from Oregon OSHA, inspectors observed two employees using a conveyor system to load and distribute roofing materials at a house, with one on the ground and the other on the roof. The employee walked and carried materials on the roof with no fall protection system in place, according to the inspection, exposing them to a potential fall of up to 18 feet to the ground.

This resulted in ABC Supply Co. Inc. violating a rule requiring employers to provide, install and implement fall protection systems where employees are exposed to the hazard of falling 6 feet or more to a lower level.

This was the third time since July 2022 that ABC Supply Co. Inc. violated fall protection requirements at job sites in Oregon. Oregon OSHA issued a penalty of $92,226 for the third repeat violation. The total penalty issued against ABC Supply Co. Inc. included a standard penalty reduction based on the size of the company. Under Oregon OSHA's rules, penalties multiply when employers commit repeat offenses.

“Any job task where an employee is assigned to work at heights must be taken seriously by employers. Our fall protection standards are there to safeguard workers each step of the way, from supply and distribution to finishing the project," said Renée Stapleton, administrator for Oregon OSHA. “Our standards are clear and practical. Repeatedly failing to follow them is unacceptable."

ABC Supply Co. Inc. has appealed the citation.