Falls remain the construction industry’s leading cause of death, serious injury
ST. LOUIS – Federal workplace safety inspectors have cited a Missouri roofing contractor for 21 violations for illegally exposing roof workers — five times in seven weeks — at six Wentzville residential worksites to the dangers of fall hazards, the construction industry’s leading cause of serious injuries and death.
The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration opened its investigations after observing 13 Construction & Pro Services LLC allowing its employees to work on roofs without required protection equipment at separate sites on Oct. 31, Nov. 2 and Dec. 14, 2023.
Specifically, OSHA alleges the company allowed employees to work without protection at heights greater than six feet, did not have a competent person inspect and evaluate job site hazards daily and failed to train workers to recognize hazards or prevent falls. Inspectors also found 13 Construction and Pro Services permitted the unsafe use of ladders, did not ensure workers wore head protection, and did not require the use of eye and face protective equipment when using pneumatic nail guns.
In all, OSHA cited the company for 26 violations – six willful and 20 serious – and assessed $258,063 in proposed penalties, continuing a history of similar workplace infractions that includes citations for 11 serious and two repeat violations since the company’s 2021 incorporation. The company as contested the current citations issued.
“Far too often, we find that after OSHA has opened an investigation at one worksite, the same contractor will do nothing to correct similar hazards at its other sites or bother to train and make sure its work crews follow federal safety procedures,” explained OSHA Area Director Bill McDonald in St. Louis. “Had 13 Construction & Pro Services been a responsible employer, they would immediately have reviewed their company’s safety and health procedures to make sure employees at all of its worksites were working safely.”
In 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 1,069 construction workers died on the job. Of those deaths, 395 were related to falls from elevation.
As part of a continuing effort to prevent fall-related fatalities in construction, the agency, industry and safety groups, and other worker advocates are encouraging construction employers and workers to join the 11th annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction, May 6-10, 2024. Partnering with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, National Occupational Research Agenda, Center for Construction Research and Training, American Society of Safety Professionals, National Safety Council, National Construction Safety Executives, OSHA Training Institute Education Centers, state consultation programs and OSHA-approved state plans, the agency invites employers and workers to learn how to conduct a safety stand-down and view a video on fall safety that includes a message from a former construction worker and fall survivor.
OSHA’s stop falls website offers safety information and video presentations in English and Spanish to teach workers about fall hazards and proper safety procedures. The agency also offers compliance assistance resources on Protecting Roofing Workers and recommendations for developing a safety and health program.
The company contested the citations and will appear before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
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