Worker’s fall reveals OSHA violations by roofing contractor

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Federal workplace safety and health inspectors have cited a Massachusetts construction company after a worker suffered serious injuries after he fell almost 19 feet from a Portsmouth roof.

Responding to a complaint, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated an inspection of Paramo Daniela Construction of Brockton and found that the employer had:

• Instructed an employee to disconnect his personal fall-arrest system from its anchor point so the employee could pass roofing tiles to his employer.
• Failed to provide a guardrail system, safety net, personal fall arrest system, or alternative fall protection measures.
• Did not train employees to recognize the hazards of falling and how to follow safety procedures intended to prevent falling.
• Failed to notify OSHA of a work-related in-patient hospitalization within 24 hours.

As a result of these conditions, OSHA cited Paramo Daniela Construction for willful, repeat and other than serious violations, with $68,530 in proposed penalties.

View current safety and health citations.

“Considering this employer has been cited five times in the past five years, he should be well-aware that the employee was supposed to have been tied off,” said Patrick Griffin, Providence OSHA area director. “The employer deliberately exposed the employee to a fall hazard instead of ensuring that employees followed safety requirements.”

Falls are a leading cause of death among construction workers. Six workers died in Rhode Island from work-related falls since 2014. OSHA has an ongoing fall prevention campaign to educate and encourage employers to prevent falls by training workers to use safety equipment.

Small businesses may contact OSHA’s free On-site Consultation services funded by OSHA to help determine whether there are hazards at their worksites. To contact free consultation services, go to OSHA’s On-site Consultation Web page or call 1-800-321-OSHA (6742) and press number 4.

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 Providence area office at 401-528-4669.

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 https://www.osha.gov.