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Workplace Safety Violations Can Cost

Money and Lives

By Floyd Arthur

In July 2015, an inspector from the U.S Department of Labor Occupational Safety and

Health Administration was driving by a construction site in North Andover,

Connecticut, when he saw three workers on a rooftop about 18 feet above the ground.

The inspector determined that the workers were not wearing OSHA-mandated fall

protection and were “one slip, trip or misstep away from a deadly or disabling fall.” After

a subsequent inspection turned up four additional serious workplace safety violations,

the workers’ employer, Woburn, Connecticut based roofing contractor Force Corp., was

assessed a proposed $91,000 in fines.

Workplace safety violations

Nor was this Force Corp.’s first run in with OSHA. The company was cited for workplace

safety violations, specifically around the lack of adequate fall protection, at four different

job sites in 2013.

Workplace Safety Violations Put Workers at Risk

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According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 4,679 workplace fatalities in

the United States in 2014, and another 1,157,410 workers suffered on-the-job injuries

severe enough to require time away from work. Injuries were most prevalent in the

following industries: sheriff’s patrol officers; correctional officers and jailers;

firefighters; nursing assistants; construction laborers; and heavy and tractor-trailer

truck drivers. About one in four injuries was due to a slip or fall: In the construction

injury, falls were the leading cause of on-the-job deaths, accounting for nearly 30

percent of all workplace fatalities.

Avoiding Workplace Safety Violations

In 2012, in partnership with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

and NIOSH's National Occupational Research Agenda program, OSHA implemented a

comprehensive education and training program to help construction employers

minimize on-the-job falls. The campaign provides employers with information and

educational materials on how to provide the correct fall-protection equipment for

workers and train them in its use.

At the same time, OSHA also created standards that outline safety measures employers

must put in place when employees are working at heights of 6 feet or more. The

standards also mandate protection from falling objects, tripping over or falling through

holes, and protection when working around dangerous equipment, regardless of height.

(Fall protection is required, for example, if a worker is working above belts, pulleys,

gears or vats of corrosive materials.)

OSHA standards mandate specific protections for various situations. Some of these

include:

Leading edge: Each worker constructing a leading edge 6 feet or more above a lower

level must be protected by guardrail systems, safety net systems or personal fall arrest

systems.

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Low-slope roofs : When doing roofing work on a low-slope roof that has one or more

unprotected sides 6 feet or more above ground level, workers must be protected from

falling by:

o Guardrail systems

o Safety net systems

o Personal fall arrest systems

o A combination fall protection system and warning line system - or -

o A warning line system and a safety monitoring system.

Overhand bricklaying: Workers who perform overhand bricklaying 6 feet or more

above a lower level or who reach 10 inches or more below the level of a working surface

must be protected by guardrail systems, safety net systems, or personal fall arrest

systems.

To find out more about avoiding workplace safety violations, review OSHA’s

publication Fall Protection in Construction which provides information about different

types of fall protection systems and the types of workers who are most at risk.

Additionally, the online resource, Stop Falls, offers fact sheets, posters and videos that

illustrate fall hazards in the construction industry and outline appropriate preventive

measures.

As an employer, you are responsible for keeping your workers safe. Although no

workplace is 100 percent hazard free, you can eliminate workplace safety violations by

adhering to OSHA guidelines and implementing a comprehensive safety program

involving all of your employees.

Not sure how to get started? Contact one of our construction insurance experts, who can

help you assess your risk and make a plan. Call us at 516-292-3780, Monday through

Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to set up an appointment, or request a free

consultation online today.