Washington State Department of Labor and Industry (L&I) called out Olympia company United Roofing Solutions, Inc. for putting its workers at risk.
“United is showing intentional disregard for the safety of their workers,” L&I cited its Division of Occupational Safety and Health Assistant Director Craig Blackwood in its press release. “We will be relentless in our efforts to protect their workers, even if they don’t.”
According to L&I, they inspected United 12 times since the company opened in 2009, citing and fining them $500,000 for not supplying their workers with fall protection gear, with one compliance safety and health officer noticing six United roofers wearing neither fall protection nor safety glasses last March.
“In the most recent case, the company was cited for repeat, willful, serious violations for not using fall protection, a $305,254 penalty,” L&I said, adding that United has filed an appeal on the citation.
Aside from United, L&R also named Snohomish roofing company Allways Roofing, Inc. a severe violator, amassing nearly $2.5 million in fines in 15 months.
“On the latest inspections, we heard from a concerned neighbor who saw a worker nearly fall off a roof before the foreman was able to grab them just before they went over the edge,” said Blackwood. “It’s only a matter of time before we’re inspecting a fatality at one of their worksites.”
L&I also pointed out that Allways already has at least seven serious injuries, including five falls from heights and two eye injuries from nail guns.
Allways did not file an appeal, L&I pointed out .
According to L&R, homeowners should ensure that their contractors are verified before doing business with them, adding, “Hiring an unregistered contractor puts homeowners at financial risk if anything goes wrong on the project.”
“If you see roofers working without fall protection, you can report it anonymously online or call L&I at 800-423-7733,” L&I said.
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