Ohio Roofing Contractor Cited Again By OSHA Hit With Over $230K In Fines

Columbus, OH (WorkersCompensation.com)-OSHA has cited a Columbus-based roofing contractor for exposing workers to falls at job sites. Alejandro Vazquez Gallegos now faces $236,642 in penalties for two repeat, two willful, and four safety violations.  

Last year, OSHA opened two inspections for job sites in Pickering and Galena under the local emphasis programs for falls. On Nov. 5, 2019, inspectors said they discovered that workers on the job site in Pickerington were without proper fall protection. At the second job site in Galena, investigators said employees working on a residential home site were also exposed to the same hazards and were not wearing glasses on the job site or using the ladder properly. 

According to court documents obtained by WorkersCompensation.com, OSHA cited the company for the following serious violations: 

• In Galena, as an employee used a pneumatic nail gun to secure roof sheathing to a residential structure, his eyes were not protected from flying objects by the use of appropriate eye protection.
• At another job site, the employer did not make sure that employees had been adequately trained on recognizing fall hazards, selecting acceptable fall protection systems, inspection and the safe use of fall protection systems and the fall protection standards contained 1926 Subpart M.
• At a job site in Pickerington, workers were exposed to a fall hazard while using a portable self-supporting A-frame ladder in a closed leaned position and climbing from the top step to access the second story floor joists. The employees had not been trained on the proper use and placement of all ladders in use on-site.

Gallegos was also cited for not protecting each employee from the hazard of falling through the use of fall protection systems at both jobsites, which is considered a willful violation.   

• On the job site located at 321 White Pine Way, Galena, Ohio 43021 the employer failed to ensure that three employees who were performing framing work from the roof of a new residential home were protected from fall hazards while sheathing the roof, thereby exposing them to an approximate fall hazard of 12 feet.

Gallegos was previously cited for a violation of this Occupational Safety and Health standard on a few jobsites: at 4351 McAlister Park Drive, Westerville; 712 Eagle Walk Road and 435 Fawn Road in Delaware, Ohio; and 32 Mandolin Court, Etna, Ohio. 

• On November 5, 2019 on a job site in Galena, the employer allegedly failed to ensure that two employees who were performing framing work from the second floor of a new build residential home were protected from fall hazards while sheathing the second floor, thereby exposing them to fall hazards approximately 20 feet.

Gallegos had been cited previously for a violation of this Occupational Safety and Health standard at jobsites in Blacklick, Westerville, Delaware, 435 Fawn Road, and Etna, Ohio.

The following is the repeat violation that the company was cited for by OSHA: 

• At a jobsite in Pickerington, the employer did not ensure that employees using a portable A-frame ladder to access the second story of the residential structure were provided with a ladder that extended at least three-feet above the second level landing surface of the residential structure.

Alejandro was previously cited for this violation, at a jobsite in Westerville.

“Falls are consistently one of OSHA’s most cited hazards, but can be prevented with proper training and appropriate protection,” said Columbus OSHA Area Director Larry Johnson. “This contractor continues to put workers’ lives at risk by allowing them to work at heights without fall protection.”

Gallegos and his company have 15 days to contest these violations.

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