A Pompano Beach roofing contractor's failure to heed warnings in 2018 on hazards of falls reportedly led to the death of a 25-year-old worker in February.
J&L Roofing allowed its workers to remove an existing roof at a two-story Davie home without fall protection, U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigators determined, according to a July 27 news release.
“Had J&L Roofing Inc. ensured that its workers were protected from the construction industry’s leading cause of death, a young man’s life could have been spared,” Condell Eastmond, OSHA Area Director in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., said, according to the release.
The OSHA investigation reported the employee landed on the ground after tumbling from the roof onto a lower level. The tragedy happened Jan. 19, and after spending 29 days in the hospital, the man died from his injuries, the release said.
OSHA cited J&L Roofing for exposing workers engaged in roofing activities to fall hazards without protection and for failing to train workers on the use of fall arrest systems. The agency proposed $74,751 in penalties, the release reported.
The 2018 incident which first brought the contractor to OSHA's attention happened at a Tamarac worksite and resulted in a citation, according to the release.
In the release, Eastmond said a family and community were left to grieve as an employer learns a lesson that federal workplace safety standards exist to help prevent these unnecessary tragedies.
