Yonkers roofing contractor cited for seven repeat and four serious violations after exposing employees to potentially fatal falls

Employer name: Franco Roofing, Inc., roof construction contractor, Yonkers, N.Y.

Inspection site: 58 Edgemont Road, Katonah, N.Y. 10536

Date inspection initiated: OSHA's Tarrytown Area Office began an inspection on Oct. 20, 2014, when OSHA inspectors who were driving by the worksite observed employees working without fall protection.

Investigation findings: Franco Roofing, Inc. was cited by OSHA for seven repeat and four serious violations of workplace safety and health standards. These include lack of fall protection for employees during the replacement of a residential roof, which exposed employees to falls hazards of more than 23 feet. An additional fall hazard stemmed from the employer's failure to provide general safety and health training, such as scaffold safety, ladder safety or fall protection training, to employees.

OSHA issued repeat citations for this employer's history of fall protection violations. Franco Roofing, Inc. was previously cited by OSHA for similar violations in June 2011 and July 2012 for worksites located in Yonkers, New York, and Greenwich, Connecticut.

Proposed Penalties: $73,920.

Quote: "The penalties proposed in this case demonstrate the severe nature of the cited hazards and the negligence of this employer when it comes to worker protection," said Diana Cortez, OSHA area director in Tarrytown. "Falls, slips and other injuries can and should be avoided at all cost through the use of proper equipment and training, and OSHA will not tolerate companies that don't adhere to basic safety standards."

Next Steps: Franco Roofing, Inc. has contested its citations and proposed penalties to 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 Tarrytown Area Office at 914-524-7510.