U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined a Wisconsin contractor after an inspection found roofing workers were at risk of serious or fatal injuries.
Hector Able Hernandez, operator of Town City Construction in Appleton, faces $349,371 in additional penalties after the investigation discovered risk of falling from heights greater than 6 feet at two job sites in May and June, according to a Nov. 29 news release.
“Hector Able Hernandez continually puts vulnerable workers at risk by blatantly ignoring federal workplace safety laws that help protect workers from serious and sometimes fatal fall injuries,” OSHA Area Director Robert Bonack said in the release. “Falls are one of deadliest hazards in the construction industry, and yet Town City Construction knowingly fails to fulfill its responsibility to ensure worker safety.”
OSHA has previously cited Hernandez for repeatedly "exposing employees to fall hazards" and proposed $633,500 in penalties, most of which are still unpaid, according to the release. These violations had been found during 16 inspections since 2004.
The most recent investigation resulted in "three willful and two serious safety violations for failing to provide eye, head and fall protection and train workers on fall hazards," the release reported.
“Employers are responsible for the safety of workers on the job," Bonack added, according to the release. "Those who hire roofing contractors can be another line of defense in protecting workers by insisting that the companies with whom they contract to make repairs follow federal safety regulations."
