A Snohomish, Wash. roofing company with an extensive history of worker safety violations is facing $442,654 in new fines for disregarding the same rules it has been caught violating repeatedly over the last several years.

According to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), the agency opened an inspection of Allways Roofing last November after an L&I employee saw roofers on a two-story building in Tumwater working without fall protection. Because the company was already considered a “Severe Violator,” inspectors returned to the job site daily following the initial inspection.

During one of the return visits, they found workers using nail guns without eye protection and another worker who had removed their fall protection to install a vapor barrier.

As a result, L&I issued 11 citations for repeatedly ignoring fall protection requirements, inappropriate eye protection, and a lack of training for workers.

"This company knows exactly what the rules are," said Craig Blackwood, assistant director for L&I’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health. "The foreman on site has been involved in at least four other citations in the past. They’re blatantly choosing to ignore the rules, putting workers at serious risk of injury or death."

L&I reports Allways Roofing has been cited for more than 100 safety violations in the last 10 years, many for repeated and willful failure to wear fall protection. Falling from heights is one of the leading causes of workplace deaths and serious injuries.

The most recent citation brings the total fines against the company to more than $3 million since 2019.