In five inspections of the contractor's worksites in Honesdale and Scranton, OSHA has proposed $178,649 in penalties for repeated failures to comply with federal requirements for fall protection.

A 40-year-old roofing contractor from Rockland County, NY, with a history of safety violations and two employee deaths, was charged with knowingly and willfully violating federal safety regulations, including failing to protect his employees from fall hazards, resulting in injuries and deaths. 

Fall protection systems have undergone significant transformations, providing robust safety measures for those working at heights. New innovations, such as modular guardrail systems and IoT-equipped PPE, are helping further improve roofing safety.

The roofing contractor has a reported history of fall protection violations, owing $31,163 in unpaid OSHA penalties.

In this video, learn how to properly check a fall safety harness with certified safety expert Tammy Clark to help prevent injuries and fatalities in the workplace.

Leading Edge Safety, a Mo.-based safety solutions provider for construction businesses, recently introduced two new products to mitigate fall dangers. 

The Labor Dept. announced on May 1, 2023, a new initiative to staunch the number of workplace accidents and deaths due to falling, which accounted for 13% of all workplace fatalities in 2021.

There might be a better way to enforce fall protection among roofing crews, but is fining them directly the answer?