OSHA Crackdown in Florida Continues; Another Roofing Contractor Cited

Juan Zuniga Ramos, principal of JZ Exteriors and Repairs LLC, reportedly failed to provide fall protection and train workers on its use. OSHA says the contractor has accused more than $30,000 in unpaid fines.

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PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration remains busy in Florida and has cited another company for “repeatedly exposing employees to fall hazards.”

OSHA said it cited Melbourne, Fla.-based Turnkey Construction Planners Inc. after an inspection was conducted in conjunction with the agency’s Regional Emphasis Program on Falls in Construction.

According to a release, inspectors observed employees working without the use of conventional fall protection at two different jobsites in Port St. Lucie, Fla. OSHA has cited the company four times in the past five years for similar violations.

"Repeatedly exposing employees to fall hazards that can lead to serious injuries or fatalities is inexcusable," said OSHA Fort Lauderdale Office Director Condell Eastmond. "Employers have an obligation to identify and eliminate known hazards that place their employees in harm's way."

OSHA said in the citation issued to Turnkey Construction that inspectors witnessed employees installing shingles on a roof with a pitch of 5:12 without the use of conventional fall protection and at a height greater than 8 feet above ground.

The citations were issued Dec. 13 and Turnkey Construction has 15 business days from receipt of them to respond.

Turnkey Construction joins a growing list of contractors in Florida to receive OSHA citations. Other companies recently flagged by OSHA have been:

Coastal Roofing Inc. for exposing employees to fall and other hazards at a St. Johns, Fla., worksite.
Gotha, Fla.-based Kasper Roofing & Construction Inc. faces $134,510 in penalties after receiving an OSHA citation in connection with the death of a worker.
Crown Roofing L.L.C. was cited in November for exposing employees to fall hazards at a worksite in Sunrise, Fla.
Derek Williams, operating as Elo Restoration Inc. in Jacksonville, and Travis Slaughter, operating as Florida Roofing Experts Inc., each face the maximum allowable penalty of $129,336, as a result of an inspection conducted at a St. Augustine worksite.