The Roof Authority of Fort Pierce, Fla., cited for exposing workers to fall and
struck-by hazards following inspection by US Department of Labor's OSHA

POMPANO BEACH, Fla. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited The Roof Authority Inc. of Fort Pierce for one willful and one serious safety violation following an August 2013 inspection at a job site on North Palm-Aire Drive in Pompano Beach. OSHA conducted its inspection as part of the agency's regional emphasis program for falls in construction. Proposed penalties total $59,290.

"The Roof Authority continues to disregard the safety of its workers by not addressing known hazards," said Condell Eastmond, OSHA's area director in Fort Lauderdale. "Management must take immediate action to correct these deficiencies."

The willful citation, with $53,900 in penalties, involves the employer exposing workers to a fall hazard because the workers removed roofing materials without fall protection. A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law's requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health.

The serious violation, with $5,390 in penalties, involves the employer exposing workers to a struck-by hazard. The workers were close to a crane operating with an outrigger pad that had sunken into the ground due to insufficient support materials. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

OSHA's fall prevention campaign provides employers and workers with lifesaving information and educational materials about working safely from ladders, scaffolds and roofs. It was developed in partnership with the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and NIOSH's National Occupational Research Agenda program. More information on fall protection standards is available in English and Spanish at http://www.osha.gov/stopfalls.

The Roof Authority is a residential, industrial, commercial and condominium roofing company. The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and proposed penalties to comply, request a conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Fort Lauderdale Area Office at 954-424-0242.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.