OSHA cites residential contractor for exposing workers to dangerous falls, other hazards; proposes $140K in fines

Employer name: Jasper Contractors Inc.

Inspection site: 3524 Waverly Dock Road, Jacksonville, Florida 32223

Citations issued: Inspectors with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration observed employees performing roofing activities without fall protection at a residence in the Loretto neighborhood subdivision. They cited the company with two willful safety violations.     

Investigation findings: Citations were issued for the employer’s failure to ensure employees were properly wearing fall protection equipment. Jasper exposed employees to the risk of an 8-foot fall. The other willful violation resulted from the company’s failure to ensure workers were wearing eye protection while using powered nail guns.

Proposed penalties: $140,000

Background: Jasper Contractors has an extensive history of OSHA violations. Since 2007, the agency has completed 19 inspections, resulting in 34 violations. The violations include willful, serious and repeat classifications for a lack of fall, eye and face protection and ladder safety.

Quote: “Jasper Contractors shows a deliberate lack of concern for the safety of its employees by refusing to comply with fall protection and other OSHA standards,” said Brian Sturtecky, OSHA’s area director in Jacksonville. “Falls are a leading cause of death in the construction industry, and OSHA is committed to doing what it can to ensure all workers are protected.”

The citations can be viewed at: http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/JasperContractorsInc_1095511.pdf

Jasper Contractors has its corporate headquarters in Kennesaw, Georgia, and specializes in residential and commercial roofing. The company has 15 business days from receipt of its 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 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 Jacksonville Area Office at 904-232-2895.