Region 2 News Release: 13-1766-PHI (osha 13-101)
Sept. 11, 2013
Contact: Leni Fortson Joann Hawkins
Phone: 215-861-5102 215-861-5101
Email: uddyback-fortson.lenore@dol.gov hawkins.joanna@dol.gov

Hamilton, NJ, roofing company cited by US Labor Department's OSHA for
fall, other safety hazards following April accident

HAMILTON, N.J. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited roofing company Six Star Builders LLC for 12 serious safety violations found at a Hamilton work site. OSHA issued $33,600 in proposed penalties following an April inspection begun in response to a referral from the police department regarding a worker who had fallen from the roof to the third floor during a roof collapse.

"Falls continue to be the leading cause of worker deaths in the construction industry," said Paula Dixon-Roderick, director of OSHA's Marlton Area Office. "When employers do not take the proper precautions against fall hazards, they show a disregard for worker safety and leave employees vulnerable to unnecessary risks, such as in this incident."

The violations include the company's failure to develop an accident prevention program; initiate and maintain a program of frequent, regularly scheduled inspections by a competent person; provide training on the recognition and avoidance of hazards to workers engaged in roofing activities; provide eye protection for workers exposed to chemical hazards from roofing adhesive; and provide a fire extinguisher when using a flammable adhesive. Other violations include failing to inspect the structural integrity of the roof; provide fall protection and training; provide ladders that extend at least 3 feet to access the roof; and provide adequate ladders and ladder training. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

OSHA's fall prevention campaign provides employers and workers with lifesaving information and educational materials about working safely from ladders, scaffolds and roofs. The information was developed in partnership with the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and NIOSH's National Occupational Research Agenda program. More information on fall protection standards is available in English and Spanish at http://www.osha.gov/stopfalls.

Six Star Builders LLC has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, ask for an informal conference with OSHA's area director in Marlton, or contest the citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report 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 area office in Marlton at 856-596-5200.

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.

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U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The information above is available in large print, Braille, audio tape or disc from the COAST office upon request by calling 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755.