A Wonder Lake roofing company was recently fined by federal officials for exposing its workers to serious construction site fall injuries. Regulators from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration are proposing more than $87,000 in fines against Zamastil Exteriors arising out of safety violations found during two worksite inspections.
“When working from heights, such as roofs, ladders and scaffolds, employers must plan projects to ensure that the job is done safely, provide the proper equipment and train workers,” said Kathy Webb, OSHA’s area director in Aurora.
The first round of fines against the company came last July when the roofer failed to provide fall protection to construction workers at a multiplex construction site. A follow up inspection occurred last October and an OSHA inspector saw violations during the operation of an aerial lift. Workers operating the lift were not provided with adequate fall protection equipment or lanyard tie offs.
Falls are the leading cause of death in construction accidents. About 264 construction workers died of falls in 2010.
Inspectors say that individuals working for the roofing company were also exposed to electrocution hazards. The company reportedly failed to provide proper ground fault protection for its employees and committed other workplace safety violations such as using ladders that were too short to be safe.
Source: OSHA, “US Department of Labor’s OSHA fines Zamastil Exteriors in Wonder Lake, Ill.; $87,010 in proposed fines for lack of worker fall protection,” Region 5 News Release: 13-17-CHI
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