NAPLES, Fla. — A Florida roofing contractor faces penalties of up to $265,196 after OSHA recently cited the company for repeatedly exposing employees to fall hazards.

According to an OSHA release, Crown Roofing LLC worksites have been inspected by the agency 17 times in the past five years. Of those, 11 inspections have resulted in citations for violating the fall protection standard.

The most recent citations issued Feb. 7 are for sites in Port St. Lucie, Fla. and Naples, Fla.

OSHA said the inspections were conducted in conjunction with its Regional Emphasis Program for Falls in Construction. Inspections took place August and October of last year.

The citation for the Naples site indicates employees were “applying cement on a sloped roof with a pitch of 6:12 without the use of conventional fall protection, (and) were exposed to a fall hazard of 11 feet to ground level.”

The citation for the Port St. Lucie site indicates employees were installing tiles on a roof “with a pitch of 7:12, without the use of conventional fall protection, (and) were exposed to a fall hazard greater than 11 feet to the ground.”

"Companies that fail to meet basic fall protection requirements are placing workers' lives at risk," said OSHA Fort Lauderdale Area Director Condell Eastmond. "Crown Roofing's repeated disregard for complying with safety and health standards demonstrates their indifference to employee safety."

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to respond.

At least six Florida-based companies have received similar violations in recent months as OSHA continues to execute its Regional Emphasis Program for Falls in Construction.