Charleston roofing contractor cited after worker hospitalized for heat-related illness while working at State Capitol Complex

Employer name: Tri-State Roofing and Sheet Metal Co., PO Box 1231, Charleston, West Virginia. The inspection site was the State Capitol Complex, Building 3, in Charleston.

Citations issued: On September 25, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued the company one general duty clause citation for exposing employees to heat stress conditions, and one serious citation.

Investigation findings: OSHA determined that on September 11, a Tri-State worker was hospitalized after being exposed to excessive heat while working outdoors in direct sunlight for approximately five hours. The company was removing tile roofing from Building 3 at the State Capitol Complex. The peak heat index that day was 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The company was also cited for a serious violation due to electrical hazards.

Proposed penalties: $6,552

Quote: "When the heat index is high, it is critical for employers to acclimatize workers so they gradually adjust to working in hot temperatures. This company failed to do that," said Prentice Cline, OSHA's area director in Charleston. "Providing water, rest and shade are three actions that are equally important and must be implemented to save workers' lives."

View the citations: http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/TriStateRoofingandSheetMetal_1091064.pdf

The firm's workers' compensation insurer is Brickstreet Insurance in Charleston, West Virginia.

OSHA has a free app for mobile devices that enables workers and supervisors to monitor the heat index at their work sites. Additionally, a web page provides information and resources on heat illness-including how to prevent it and what to do in an emergency-for workers and employers.

To ask questions; obtain compliance assistance; file a complaint; or report amputations, eye loss, 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 Charleston Area Office at 304-347-5937.