The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries issued $1.27 million in penalties for four roofing contractors for fall safety violations, including a repeat offender who owes more than $4 million in fines.

According to the agency, the penalties result from several safety violations, including allowing workers to perform roofing on top of homes without using fall protection gear. State law dictates that employers "bear the ultimate responsibility" in making sure workers are safe by ensuring they use fall protection or guardrail systems while working above 4 feet in height.

“Not only did these companies knowingly put their workers at risk, they’ve all been caught breaking the same rules before,” said Craig Blackwood, assistant director of L&I’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, in a written statement.

L&I cited and fined Allways Roofing Inc., based in Snohomish, Wash., $345,700 on June 24 for workers not properly using fall protection while reroofing a two-story home in Mill Creek. The company’s foreman showed inspectors his workers wearing safety harnesses that he said had been tied to anchor points on the main roof. According to L&I, he said the roofers chose not to wear the fall protection system while working on the roof above the garage. 

Three months prior, Allways Roofing was fined nearly $500,000 for seven willful violations, including workers not using fall protection while reroofing a three-story building in Snohomish and not wearing eye protection while using pneumatic nail guns.

Over the past 12 years, L&I has cited and fined Allways Roofing for 124 safety violations, primarily for workers not using fall protection. The company currently owes more than $4 million in fines to the state. It has 15 business days to appeal the latest citation and fine. 

“The requirements are clear. If a company is getting cited this often it means it’s purposefully ignoring the rules and risking workers’ lives to save time and make money,” said Blackwood.

Other companies cited by L&I for fall protection violations over the last three months include:

• SSHI LLC, which does business as DR Horton (Port Orchard) — Was fined $132,000 on June 20 for not ensuring the workers of its subcontractors were using fall protection or wearing safety glasses while operating a pneumatic nail gun and saw. L&I has inspected the company 14 times in the past three years, with two repeat and eight serious violations. The company did not appeal the latest citation and fines.
• Pulte Homes of Washington, Inc. (Washougal) — Fined $99,000 on April 23 for not ensuring the workers of its subcontractors were using fall protection on a steep pitched roof of a two-story building and no eye protection when operating a pneumatic nail gun. L&I has inspected Pulte Homes seven times in the past three years, resulting in two repeat serious and six serious violations. The company is appealing the latest citation and fines.
• Valentine Roofing (Burien) — Fined $207,000 on March 29 for six willful serious violations. Inspectors said the safety lines were too long and that if a worker had fallen, they would have hit the ground well before the safety arrest system stopped them. Valentine Roofing has had 10 prior inspections over the past three years, one with a repeat serious violation. The company is appealing the latest citation and fine.