Posted in Wisconsin Workers Compensation Related News
In a previous blog post, we discussed a Wisconsin roofing contractor who has ignored federal laws for years, allowing employees to work in unsafe conditions and undergo serious injuries. Unfortunately, this roofing company is not alone in its safety violations. Another Wisconsin roofing contracting company has failed to protect its workers from fall hazards, according to a recent WorkersCompensation.com article.
“On 13 occasions since 2005, U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspectors have found Diaz Roofing LLC failed to protect its workers from fall hazards,” the article said. “On March 7, the agency issued two willful, two serious and one other-than-serious safety citations to the company and proposed $104,390 in penalties.”
In an inspection in October of 2015, employees of the roofing company were observed by OSHA investigators at a roofing work site. Working at heights higher than 10 feet, the investigators saw no protection in place for the workers; “employees [worked] without fall protection such as guardrails, safety nets or personal fall prevention devices.” Furthermore, employees were working without eye protection, while using nail guns. In their investigation, “OSHA found the company failed to maintain injury and illness logs.”
“Diaz Roofing continues to ignore OSHA standards and is failing to protect its employees on the job,” said Ann Grevenkamp, OSHA’s area director in Madison. “OSHA will continue to monitor this employer for compliance, and do everything in its power to keep workers safely out of life-threatening working conditions.”
According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2014, falls accounted for nearly 40 percent of deaths in the construction industry. OSHA’s Stop Falls campaign works hard to make sure employees in the construction industry have the educational materials to use gear properly, and prevent falls.
The WorkersCompensation.com article states, “Diaz Roofing has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.”
If you are have been injured on the job, or are concerned about your safety and working conditions, please contact us today.
Sources:
http://www.workerscompensation.com/compnewsnetwork/news/23528-a-serial-osha-offender-wisconsin-contractor-continues-to-risk-workers-safety.html
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cfoi.pdf
