Like all industries, providing a safe working environment is not only crucial, but employers are legally obligated to do so, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) makes sure that they do.

When it comes to roofing contractors, OSHA has important and potentially life-saving protocols in place. That's because falls are the leading cause of death in construction, and they note that these deaths are preventable.

OSHA has a Fall Prevention Campaign, with 3 main points that employers must follow:

1. PLAN ahead to get the job done safely. Employers must plan projects to ensure that the job is done safely. This includes planning all tasks that need to be done, what safety equipment will be needed, and including all safety equipment in the price of the job, and more.
2. PROVIDE the right equipment. Workers who are six feet or more above lower levels are at risk for serious injury or death if they should fall. Therefore, the right equipment for the job must be provided, including fall protection. For roof work, if workers use personal fall arrest systems, a harness must be provided for each worker who needs to tie off to the anchor.
3. TRAIN everyone to use the equipment safely. Every worker should be trained on the proper setup and safe use of the equipment they use on the job.

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However, despite having these protocols in place, there are times when contractors are not provided a safe working environment, and that appears to be the case recently with a roofing contractor in Wisconsin.

U.S. Department of Labor Cites Wisconsin Roofing For Safety Violations

The U.S. Department of Labor has announced that it has officially cited roofing contractor Bacilio Rios Almanza for failing to protect employees atop a residential roof from fatal fall hazards. This took place in September 2024 in Appleton, Wisconsin.

After a formal investigation, the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Almanza for the following:

• Two willful violations and one serious violation for failing to provide fall protection equipment
• Not training workers on fall protection
• Not ensuring workers wore hard hats.

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As a result of these findings, OSHA has proposed $262,174 in penalties. They note that the agency had inspected Almanza's work sites 10 times and cited the contractor for similar violations.

Now, the contractor has 15 business days from receipt of 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.