According to the U.S. Department of Labor, a Framingham, Mass. roofing contractor with a history of fall-related safety violations was said to have exposed employees to potentially fatal falls — of up to 20 feet — at a residential worksite in Boston's Hyde Park neighborhood.

In a Feb. 21 news release, Brothers Construction Services Inc. – which also operates as Brothers Construction and Roofing and Brothers Roofing – faces $306,229 in penalties following an inspection by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

OSHA opened an inspection of Brothers Construction Services Inc. at the Lexington Avenue worksite on Aug. 17, 2023, in response to a complaint that workers on the roof of a residential property were not using fall protection. Inspectors observed multiple OSHA violations involving inadequate fall protection, scaffolds, ladders, training, safety inspections and personal protective equipment.

Specifically, Brothers Construction Services Inc. did not:

• Provide fall protection for employees exposed to a 20-foot fall hazard.
• Train employees about fall hazards.
• Ensure ladders were extended at least 3 feet above the upper landing surface for stability and employees did not carry loads while using ladders.
• Ensure a ladder jack scaffold that lacked fall protection was erected by a competent person and the ladders supporting the scaffold were properly angled and secured.
• Have a competent person conduct frequent and regular inspections of the jobsite to identify and correct hazards.
• Provide employees with hard hats and eye protection.
• Provide inspectors with OSHA 300 illness and injury logs within four business hours.

OSHA cited Brothers Construction Services Inc. for eight willful, repeat, serious and other-than-serious violations, carrying a total of $306,229 in proposed penalties.

"Falls remain the number one killer in construction work, year in and year out. Yet, this employer and too many others repeatedly fail to provide and ensure basic, commonsense and legally required safeguards for their employees," said OSHA area director James Mulligan in Braintree, Mass.

"At this worksite, OSHA inspectors observed eight workers exposed to falls of up to 20 feet due to lack of fall protection, employee training, an improperly erected scaffold and failure to have a competent person inspect the jobsite to identify and correct hazards," Mulligan added. "Brothers Construction Services Inc.'s violations left its workers one slip, trip or misstep away from a potentially fatal incident."

According to OSHA records, the agency has cited the company for similar hazards at worksites in several Massachusetts and New Hampshire communities since 2011.

Brothers Construction Services Inc. has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

No one from Brothers Construction could be reached for comment.