Roofing Contractor Deliberately Failed to Supply Fall Protection, OSHA Says

A New Haven, Conn., roofing contractor’s “deliberate failure to supply required fall protection” exposed workers to the risk of fatal falls, OSHA alleges.

Xtreme Restoration & Waterproofing LLC is facing $70,070 in fines for a willful violation, a repeat violation and two serious violations of safety regulations.

OSHA’s inspection of a Bridgeport, Conn., construction site in June found Xtreme employees working without fall protection atop a two-story roof.

“Some workers lacked any fall protection, while others had safety harnesses that were not tied off to an independent anchorage point. This meant there was nothing to stop these workers from falling and suffering a deadly or disabling injury,” said Robert Kowalski, OSHA’s area director in Bridgeport. “These hazards were intensified by allowing workers to use a ladder with broken and damaged rungs to access the roof and by failing to train employees to recognize and protect themselves against these hazards.”

OSHA cited Xtreme Restoration & Waterproofing for a willful violation for lack of fall protection. The company received a repeat violation for lack of fall protection training, which OSHA had cited the company for in 2011 at a Branford, Conn., job site.

The agency cited Xtreme for two serious violations for allegedly using a ladder with damaged and broken rungs to access the roof and for not training employees on ladder hazards and safeguards.

Falls are the leading killer in construction work, responsible for the deaths of three Connecticut workers in 2012, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Xtreme Restoration & Waterproofing has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply or contest OSHA’s findings.