Roofing Contractor Faces $1.3 Million Fine From OSHA

By Rockland Daily Staff

According to a U.S. Department of Labor announcement, ALJ Home Improvement Inc. faces a $1.3 million penalty after two workers fell to their death in two separate instances.

The roofing contractor has a history of being fined for unsafe working conditions and was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor after the workers died from falls on job sites. On February 8, a worker recently fell from the top of a three-story home construction project in New Square. Another employee died after a fall at a Kiamesha Lake work site in Sullivan County in February 2019.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration(OSHA) fined ALJ for deliberately ignoring the requirement to provide fall protection training or ensure that adequate fall protection safeguards were used. 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, falls are the leading cause of death in construction work in the U.S.

By law, residential construction employers are required to protect workers against falls by utilizing guardrails, safety nets, or personal fall arrest systems when they work six feet or more above lower levels. They are also required to provide personal protective equipment to protect against bodily injury, which is why ALJ was also fined for not providing eye protection for employees using pneumatic nail guns. 

ALJ Home Improvement was cited for nine willful and three serious violations.

ALJ has 15 business days to respond to the citations. If the company chooses not to respond by the end of the 15-day response period, the citations and penalties become final, with no right to appeal.