February 2020 Enforcement
A contractor was found in contempt of court for failing to pay more than $2.2 million in OSHA penalties.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit has found a Jacksonville, Florida-based roofing contractor in contempt of court for failing to pay $2,202,049 in penalties assessed by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for safety and health violations at worksites in Florida.
The Department of Labor filed a petition with the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals for summary enforcement against Great White Construction Inc., Florida Roofing Experts Inc. and owner Travis Slaughter pursuant to Section 11(b) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) to enforce 12 final orders of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC). Those final orders include multiple egregious, willful and repeat violations for lack of fall protection and other safety and health hazards at worksites in Florida. On October 2, 2017, and June 5, 2018, the court granted the department’s petition, enforcing the final orders of the commission.
U.S. Department of Labor Fines Florida Roofing Contractor For Repeatedly Exposing Employees to Fall Hazards
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited CJM Roofing Inc. – based in West Palm, Florida – for exposing employees to fall and other hazards at three residential worksites in Royal Palm Beach and Port St. Lucie, Florida. The contractor faces penalties totaling $291,724.
OSHA initiated inspections in June, August and September of 2019, as part of the Regional Emphasis Program for Falls in Construction, after inspectors observed employees working on roofs without fall protection. OSHA cited the company for failing to use a fall protection system, ensure that portable ladders extend above the upper landing, require that employees wear eye and face protection when operating pneumatic nail guns, and conduct regular inspections of the jobsite. OSHA has inspected the company five times in the past five years, resulting in repeat violations of the fall protection standard.
U.S. Department of Labor Cites Manufacturer For Exposing Employees to Safety Hazards at Georgia Worksite
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Wright Metal Products Crates LLC – based in South Bend, Indiana, and operating as WMP Crates – for exposing employees to amputation, chemical and other safety hazards at a worksite in Lavonia, Georgia. The company faces $195,034 in penalties.
OSHA cited the metal container manufacturer for failing to train employees on lockout/tagout procedures, require employees to apply their own locks when performing die changes on machinery, and provide appropriate eye and face protection. OSHA also cited the company for exposing employees to hazardous paint fumes, failing to separate propylene and oxygen cylinders, and not properly labeling hazardous chemicals. OSHA conducted the inspection in accordance with the National Emphasis Program on Amputations and the Regional Emphasis Program for Powered Industrial Trucks.
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