Sept. 12, 2016

STRASBURG, Ohio – A Millersburg roofing contractor faces $94,064 in federal penalties after investigators observed nine employees atop a single-family Strasburg home without adequate fall protection systems in place.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Amish Exteriors LLC for two willful safety violations on Sept. 8, 2016, after an inspection on Aug. 10, 2016, found workers installing roofing materials at heights of more than 7 feet without required fall protection.

“Falls account for nearly 40 percent of all deaths in the construction industry. These deaths are preventable when employers comply with safety standards,” said Larry Johnson, OSHA’s area director in Columbus. “There is no excuse for putting workers at risk needlessly, and we are determined to help prevent workers from suffering unnecessary injuries or worse.”

Inspectors also found Amish Exteriors failed to protect workers using air-driven nail guns from eye injury.

View current citations here.

Federal safety and health officials are determined to reduce the numbers of preventable, fall-related deaths in the construction industry. OSHA offers a Stop Falls online resource with detailed information in English and Spanish on fall protection standards. The page provides fact sheets, posters and videos that illustrate various fall hazards and appropriate preventive measures. OSHA standards require that an effective form of fall protection be in use when workers perform construction activities 6 feet or more above the next lower level.

The ongoing Fall Prevention Campaign was developed in partnership with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and NIOSH’s National Occupational Research Agenda program. Begun in 2012, the campaign provides employers with lifesaving information and educational materials on how to prevent falls, provide the right equipment for workers and train employees to use gear properly.

Holmes Siding Ltd. of Millersburg owns Amish Exteriors. The company specializes in residential and commercial roofing projects. It has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency’s Columbus office at 614-469-5582.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.