US Department of Labor cites Florida roofing contractor, home builder for subjecting workers to fall hazards at Boca Raton worksite

Employers:    All Phase Roofing Inc.

                        1313 S. Killian Drive, Lake Park, FL 33403

                        Lennar Homes LLC

                        3931 RCA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33403

Investigation Findings: On June 28, 2023, a U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigator witnessed a group of All Phase Roofing employees – without fall protection – installing roofing membrane on the roofs of garages attached to two residential structures in Boca Raton. 

Issued citations and proposed penalties: OSHA cited All Phase Roofing with three repeat violations for not utilizing fall protection, failing to have a competent person provide an inspection of a worksite to ensure employees use the proper safety equipment before work begins, and allowing employees to perform roofing work before training them to recognize hazards and the proper use of fall protection equipment. The agency also cited All Phase Roofing with three serious violations for allowing workers to use an interior staircase not equipped with a stair rail at the open edge, allowing workers to use the fly section of an extension ladder to access a roof, and for not having a competent person train workers on the proper use, set up and hazards associated with ladders. OSHA proposed $159,117 in penalties for All Phase Roofing. 

In addition, OSHA cited Lennar Homes with one serious violation for failing to have a competent person inspect the worksite to ensure employees have the proper safety equipment and that all stairwells inside the structure have stair rails before they are used. The agency proposed $8,929 in penalties for Lennar Homes. 

Background: Falls in construction continue to be a leading cause of work-related fatalities. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 700 fatalities in 2022 due to falls to lower level, a 2.9 percent increase from 680 fatalities the year before. Since 2012, OSHA has partnered with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and National Occupational Research Agenda - Construction Sector on the Fall Prevention Campaign to raise awareness among workers and employers about common fall hazards in construction, and how falls from ladders, scaffolds and roofs can be prevented. Read more about OSHA’s National Emphasis Program on falls. 

Quote: “Falls in construction is still the number one killer of workers, and it is irresponsible for All Phase Roofing to allow its employees to work on roofs unprotected. These types of hazards are well known, yet we still find employers subjecting their workers to dangerous and life-threatening work conditions,” said OSHA Area Office Director Condell Eastmond in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “General contractors also have a responsibility, as Lennar Homes did here, to take the necessary steps to ensure that its subcontractors maintain safe worksites.”