A roofing contractor in Ohio faces proposes penalties of more than $137,000 after being cited by federal workplace safety officials for exposing workers to deadly fall hazards.
OSHA said JMH Roofing LLC in Millersburg has a history of not cooperating with federal safety inspectors. The company and its owner, Jonas Hershberger, have been cited for exposing workers to deadly fall hazards for the sixth time in three years while fall protection equipment remained unused at a Medina residential work site.
On April 28, 2021, OSHA inspectors observed roofers employed by JMH Roofing LLC working up to 24 feet off the ground. The agency issued citations for two willful, two repeat and two serious violations, and proposed penalties $136,453. OSHA requires the use of fall protection at heights greater than 6 feet.
OSHA inspectors also found the five-person crew working without required eye, face or head protection. Inspectors determined JMH Roofing lacked an effective safety and health program and failed to audit work sites for safety hazards and ensure compliance.
OSHA cited JMH Roofing LLC for similar hazards in February 2021, June 2020 and May 2018. The agency cited RAM Roofing LLC, also owned by Hershberger, in April and September 2019, which resulted in penalties of $137,441. Hershberger has refused to respond to the citations, provide abatement or pay penalties.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports in 2019 that 1,061 construction workers died on the job, 401 of them in falls from elevation. In Fiscal Year 2020, fall protection in construction was the standard most frequently cited by OSHA inspectors.
Topics Workers' Compensation Ohio Contractors
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
California Sees Two More Property Insurers Withdraw From Market 
Trump’s Bond Insurer Tells Judge Shortfall Is ‘Inconceivable’ 
Marsh McLennan Agency to Buy Fisher Brown Bottrell for About $316M 
Chubb to Acquire MGA Healthy Paws From Aon 
