"This horrific accident could have been avoided if the employer had followed required safety procedures," said Luis R. Santiago, OSHA's area director in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "Tragedies like this simply should not happen."
The fatality occurred Jan. 25, when an employee fell from the roof of a six-story Abbott Avenue building in Miami and was impaled on the pickets of a wrought-iron fence. The worker was assisting the operator of a trolley hoist when the rear of the machine lifted up, causing the machine and the employee to fall to the street below.
OSHA issued one willful citation with a maximum $70,000 proposed penalty for the employer's failure to comply with the manufacturer's operating specifications for the trolley hoist. An additional willful citation with a proposed penalty of $44,000 was issued because fire exits were reportedly fastened closed with lumber and blocked on four separate occasions.
Aleluya Roofing also received 11 serious citations with proposed penalties totaling $40,800. These citations included the failure to:
- Provide fall protection in a hoist area and at the edge of a flat roof.
- Train employees to recognize fall hazards.
- Protect employees from an array of dangers.