When looking over the enforcement activity at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in 2025, something stood out: there were far fewer reports.

Whether it was due to the Trump administration’s deregulation stance, federal layoffs reducing OSHA’s capabilities, the federal government shutdown delaying investigations, or roofing contractors complying with safety regulations, the Department of Labor issued fewer releases about roofing-related fines and penalties than in years past.

Nonetheless, OSHA went after contractors in 2025. From recovering back wages to fining contractors for fatal workplace injuries, here are the top OSHA violations from the past year.

The stories are ranked based on the penalty amount reported by OSHA. Those fined for instances of worker fatalities are given more weight due to the loss of a life that might’ve otherwise been preventable.

10. Northern California Nail Co. Inc., $56,314

A federal court ordered Northern California-based roofing contractor Northern California Nail Co. Inc to pay $1.9 million in back wages and damages to 158 workers after a Department of Labor investigation found the employer failed to pay required overtime rates to workers.

As part of the ruling, the Wage and Hour Division assessed $56,314 in penalties to resolve the willful violations.

The Fair Labor Standards Act requires most employees in the U.S. to be paid at least the federal minimum wage for all hours worked and overtime pay at not less than one and a half times their regular rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek.

9. Pettengill Family Restoration, $78,791 (vacated)

In a twist, we’re reporting fines disappearing from a contractor’s record.

In Missouri, a contractor successfully vacated nearly $79,000 in penalties issued by OSHA regarding fall hazard citations from 2023. OSHA had to demonstrate that Pettengill Family Restoration was the workers' employer under the Act. Because the government did not fulfill the requirement, the citations were deemed invalid.

“OSHA has the burden of proof in the case to prove the violation,” said Trent Cotney, head of the Construction Law group at Adams & Reese and Roofing Contractor’s Legal Insights columnist. “It failed to present evidence sufficient to show these 1099s were misclassified.”

8. RRC Home Improvement, $155,000

The Department of Labor and Newark, N.J.-based RRC Home Improvement reached a settlement agreement over multiple fall violations the company incurred in the summer of 2024.

In June 2024, OSHA investigated RRC Home Improvement at a worksite in Dover, N.J., after receiving reports of employees working without fall protection. In July 2024, the agency inspected a worksite in Lodi. They again observed RRC Home Improvement employees working without the required fall protection.

The settlement agreement between OSHA and RRC Home Improvement affirmed the citations. The company agreed to pay a $155,000 penalty.

7. Bacilio Rios Almanza, $262,174

On April 7, OSHA cited roofing contractor Bacilio Rios Almanza for failing to protect employees atop a residential roof from fatal fall hazards in Appleton, Wis. in September 2024.

OSHA cited Almanza for two willful violations and one serious violation for failing to provide fall protection equipment, not training workers on fall protection, and not ensuring workers wore hard hats. The agency proposed $263,197 in penalties, according to the OSHA database. 

6. Sunrun Installation Services Inc., $288,087

Chicago-area Sunrun Installation Services Inc., a solar panel and battery storage company, received fines totaling $288,087 for two repeat safety violations after investigators found workers exposed to fatal fall hazards twice in three months.

OSHA investigators observed employees working without required fall protection while installing solar panels at two residential homes in the Chicago suburbs. The citation cited the first infraction in Oak Park on June 18, 2024, and another in Skokie on Aug. 8.

The company was previously cited for similar violations in Massachusetts in 2022 and New Jersey in 2023.

5. Asset Roofing Company, $322,646

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, an OSHA-approved state plan that covers most private and public sectors, fined Snohomish, Wash.-based Asset Roofing Company $322,646.

Labor & Industries received notice that a worker was injured when his fall protection rope failed to stop him from hitting the ground. Asset Roofing’s owner said the fall protection rope broke, causing the roofer to fall to the ground. Inspectors determined the roofer slipped on the underlayment, but with too much slack in the rope, hit the ground without activating any part of the fall protection system.

When inspectors arrived at the scene, L&I says it had been altered, and only a portion of the rope involved in the incident was left hanging from the roof on the back of the house.

4. 3 Guys Home Improvement Inc., $478,088

In Wilkes-Barre, Pa., OSHA cited Luis Alberto-Reyna Avila for exposing workers to dangerous falls and workplace hazards at a Lackawanna County worksite.

OSHA initiated an inspection of Avila’s business, 3 Guys Home Improvement Inc., in September 2024, after receiving an imminent danger complaint alleging worker exposure to fall hazards.

The agency cited the company for two willful violations and 10 serious violations. The company received $478,088 in penalties, according to OSHA’s database, and are being contested.

3. Elo Restoration, $752,846

When Jacksonville, Fla.-based contractor Elo Restoration received a $752,846 fine following a serious injury, President Eric Grengs reached out to RC to discuss the matter.

“We are committed to protecting our employees, customers, and the communities we serve,” Grengs said in a written statement to RC. “We are aware of the citations recently issued by OSHA and are reviewing them carefully with our legal and safety teams. While we respect OSHA’s role, we do not agree with all of the findings and intend to exercise our rights through the appropriate review and appeals process.”

OSHA levied more than $752,000 in fines for 10 safety violations, including willfully exposing workers to fall hazards.

A second investigation into a separate incident on an Elo Restoration jobsite in St. John’s, Fla., revealed an employee sustained serious injuries and was hospitalized after falling through a residential roof while installing skylights.

2. ERG Commercial LLC and Premiere Roofing Group Inc., $2,800 and $1,500

Last July, two Georgia-based companies faced penalties after a fatal incident at a worksite in South Carolina.

According to reporting from NBC-affiliated WMBF, South Carolina OSHA investigators found ERG Commercial LLC and Premiere Roofing Group Inc. didn’t use or have a fall protection plan. Specifically, they weren’t using a warning line system. As a result, a 34-year-old worker fell 17 feet through an opening in the roof last February.

Harnesses were found on the site, but OSHA was not told to whom they belonged. OSHA fined EGR Commercial LLC $2,800 and Premiere Roofing Group Inc. $1,500.

1. Troyer Construction, $290,000

Last April, the Department of Labor and John Troyer, owner of Troyer Construction in Jamesport, Mo., operating as Troyer Roofing & Coatings, reached an agreement after a 2023 investigation into a fatal fall.

The investigation showed Troyer failed to provide workers with required fall protection, as well as violating the Fair Labor Standards Act by employing minors illegally in roofing work from May 2022 to June 2023.

On March 27, 2023, an 18-year-old employee was applying sealant to a commercial building’s roof when he fell more than 22 feet, leaving him in a coma for five days before dying. OSHA investigations determined that Troyer didn’t ensure employees were using fall protection and failed to train them on how to use it. OSHA issued $156,259 in penalties, down from the initial $205,369.

Troyer was also fined $15,000 in child labor penalties and $118,741 in criminal fines to the U.S. Department of Justice.