Federal workplace safety officials have once again cited a Newark-based construction contractor for repeated violations of U.S. Department of Labor safety requirements at three worksites in North Jersey. The infractions involved exposing employees to falls, which is the leading cause of death and serious injuries in the construction industry.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) conducted an inspection at a worksite managed by RRC Home Improvement Inc. in Dover in June 2024 after receiving reports about employees working on a roof without fall protection. A month later, OSHA inspectors carried out inspections at two additional RRC worksites in Lodi as part of the agency’s National Emphasis Program for Falls in Construction. Once again, inspectors observed workers without necessary fall protection.
These inspections also revealed other safety violations, including lack of hard hats, eye protection, fire extinguishers, non-compliant pump jack scaffold poles, and unsafe ladder use. Following these findings, OSHA cited RRC Home Improvement for four willful and seven serious violations with proposed penalties totaling $328,545.
Since 2017, OSHA has inspected the company five times and cited it for failing to provide fall protection to its workers. Due to the willful nature of these offenses related to falls, RRC Home Improvement has been added to OSHA’s Severe Violators Enforcement Program.
“Failing to provide and use fall protection when working at elevation - in this case on rooftops - is a disaster waiting to happen,” said OSHA Area Director Lisa Levy in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey. “Despite being cited multiple times since 2017, RRC Home Improvement continues to disregard critical safety standards, putting workers at grave risk. Falls remain the leading cause of fatalities and serious injuries in the construction industry, making this repeated negligence unacceptable.”
RRC Home Improvement Inc., operating since 2006, offers commercial roofing, specialty roofing, and residential roofing services across New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
The company now has 15 business days from receiving its citations and penalties to comply with them or request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
For more information on developing workplace safety programs or accessing compliance assistance resources offered by OSHA—including free tools specific to various work environments—employers can visit OSHA's website.
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