South Florida roofing contractor continues to expose workers to dangerous falls and other safety hazards; OSHA proposes nearly $54K in fines

Employer name: Payton Roofing Inc.

Inspection site: 4160 NW, 21^st St., Buildings B and D, Lauderhill, Florida 33313

Citations issued: Citations were issued to the employer on May 23.

Investigation findings: Inspectors with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations to Payton Roofing for three repeated and four serious safety violations after visiting two work sites, at a residential apartment complex, where employees were removing and installing roofing materials without fall protection. This inspection fell under OSHA’s Regional Emphasis Program on Falls in Construction.

The repeated citations were issued for the employer’s failure to protect employees from fall hazards while working from heights up to 18 feet, at two separate worksites, and not providing workers training to recognize the hazards of falling and procedures to follow. OSHA cited the company for the same violations in October 2015 at a work site in Plantation, Florida.

The serious violations involve exposing workers to falls up to 12 feet due to unguarded holes in the floor, and allowing employees to use the same anchorage system that is intended for one person.

Proposed penalties: $53,900

Quote: “Payton Roofing continues to expose its workers to previously cited and easily correctable hazards,” said Condell Eastmond, OSHA’s area director in Fort Lauderdale. “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:

• https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/legacy-files/newsroom/newsreleases/OSHA20160951a.pdf
• https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/legacy-files/newsroom/newsreleases/OSHA20160951b.pdf

Based in Coral Spring, Florida, Payton Roofing 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 Fort Lauderdale Area Office at 954-424-0242.