Roofing Contractor to Contest OSHA Citations After Employee’s Fatal Fall

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has determined that a Massachusetts roofing contractor again violated federal regulations for fall protections, following an investigation into how an employee fell about 27 feet and was killed.

The accident occurred as workers tried to carry materials and climb a ladder jack scaffold at a Brighton work site in September 2023.

OSHA said it previously cited OJR Construction Inc. of Watertown in March 2017 and September 2019 for failing to comply with safety standards that protect employees from fall hazards.

Following its latest investigation, the agency cited OJR Construction Inc. for one willful violation and 10 serious violations and assessed $88,721 in proposed penalties, an amount set by federal statute.

The Watertown construction company is exercising its right to contest OSHA’s citations before the independent review commission.

OSHA inspectors maintain the company “willfully exposed employees to fall hazards” by not providing a safety net or personal fall arrest or guardrail systems, and by failing to have a program to train employees to recognize and address fall hazards.

“Two previous OSHA inspections made it clear to OJR Construction what protections had to be in place to protect employees from potentially debilitating or deadly falls, but the company chose to ignore its responsibilities,” said OSHA Area Director James Mulligan in Braintree, Massachusetts.

The agency said its investigation also determined that the company did not comply with other OSHA regulations requiring guard rails on scaffolds, ladder side rails, eye protection for employees using nail guns, and others.

Topics Workers' Compensation Contractors