HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, N.J. — A Bergen County, N.J. roofing contractor who agreed to make improvements related to fall protection and other safety issues violated its settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor and now faces $600,741 in penalties.

According to a release from the department, on Nov. 13, 2020, Janiec Roofing Inc. of Lodi, N.J. entered a settlement agreement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) after two 2019 inspections identified infractions related to fall protection and other safety issues. The nine violations resulted in proposed penalties of $121,687. The company agreed to establish a comprehensive written safety and health program, provide training to managers and workers and create daily safety checklists to identify and remove any hazards.

OSHA’s follow-up inspection in 2021 determined that Janiec Roofing failed to comply with the agreement and exposed workers to dangerous safety hazards. The agency proposed an additional $180,221 in penalties and cited the company with one failure-to-abate violation for not complying with the settlement agreement terms and not submitting documentation required to show compliance.

Prior to the follow-up inspection, OSHA conducted two other inspections of Janiec Roofing as part of the agency’s Regional Emphasis Program for fall hazards in construction. In December 2020, inspectors found employees working on a residential roof project in Paramus without proper fall protection, exposing them to a fall of 18 feet on a 4:12 pitched roof. In January 2021, OSHA visited a Janiec work site in Saddle Brook, where inspectors identified unsafe use of ladders and failures to ensure that workers used head, eye and fall protection. These two inspections resulted in two willful, four repeat and three serious citations and $420,521 in penalties.

“Janiec Roofing’s failure to honor its agreement with OSHA and knowingly put workers at risk of serious injuries or worse is inexcusable,” said OSHA Area Director Lisa Levy in Hasbrouck Heights, N.J. “Intentional disregard of federal law will not be tolerated and OSHA will not hesitate to hold employers accountable when they ignore their legal responsibility and jeopardize the well-being of their hard-working employees.”

View the citations from OSHA’s 2021 follow-up inspection, January 2021 inspection, and December 2020 inspection.