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.

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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:

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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.

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.

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