Contractor gets slapped with massive fine

A Pennsylvania-based roofer contractor has been fined US$605,371 by The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for safety violations that involved exposing employees to fall hazards.

All told, Webb Contractor Corp. reportedly had eight willful violations — three of which were serious, and two of which were repeat — at three different worksites in the Lehigh Valley area.

Beginning in 2020, the OSHA unveiled a new weighting system, prioritizing what it calls “Focus Four” hazards — falls and struck-by, caught-in, and electrocution. Inspections for these hazards receive three Enforcement Units (EUs), while all other inspections receive at least one EU.

The OSHA has really come down hard on contractors violating fall protection standards, often doling out six or even seven figure penalties. And in some cases, the fines are not the only thing contractors need to worry about. There’s an ongoing case in Maine in which a roofing contractor could be sentenced up to 30 years in prison if he’s convicted under the state’s workplace manslaughter law.

So, Contractor Nation, when compared to the U.S., how strict are the laws in Canada for these types of violations? Are they sufficient? Are we doing a good enough job protecting workers from these hazards?