Imagine risking your life every single day just to earn a living. Sadly, for many construction workers in Washington State, this is a reality. For the twentieth year in a row, falls from heights have topped the list of workplace safety violations, according to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I). That's two decades of preventable accidents!
Despite clear, long-standing safety regulations requiring harnesses, fall arrest systems, and properly installed anchors, L&I reports that numerous companies are still cutting corners, putting their employees in grave danger. It begs the question: why is this still happening?
Take Roof Doctor Inc., an Olympia-based company. According to a recent L&I report, they've been repeatedly cited for fall protection violations. On December 29th, they were hit with a citation and a hefty fine of $82,620 for offenses including one willful serious violation, one repeat serious violation, and two serious violations. The violations stemmed from an incident last August where roofers were observed working on a two-story home in Olympia without any fall protection.
But here's where it gets controversial... It wasn't an isolated incident. Just a few weeks prior, on December 18th, Roof Doctor was fined a staggering $110,160 for four repeat serious violations at a Tumwater strip mall. The company is currently appealing both cases, suggesting they disagree with L&I's assessment. But consider this: over the past two decades, Roof Doctor has filed 393 injury claims, leading to over $4.9 million in medical care and wage replacement costs paid out by the state workers’ compensation fund. Is it possible their safety practices are contributing to this high rate of injuries?
Roof Doctor isn't alone. Asset Roofing Company LLC has also faced significant penalties. In September, they were fined nearly $720,000 across four separate inspections for a litany of violations: failing to ensure workers wore fall protection, improper ladder use, and inadequate fall protection training at various work sites. In some cases, workers were wearing harnesses, but they were attached to improperly installed anchors – a potentially more dangerous situation than no protection at all, as it creates a false sense of security. Asset Roofing is also appealing all four citations, which occurred in Edmonds, Lake Forest Park, Lake Stevens, and Snohomish.
Other companies facing similar repercussions include Valentine Roofing in Seattle, fined $148,716 on December 3rd for two repeat serious violations after an inspector saw an employee working near a roof edge with a dangerously long rope. DaBella in Vancouver was cited on December 23rd for a repeat willful serious violation and fined $134,640 for failing to protect subcontractor employees from falls. Modern S Construction LLC in Buckley was fined a substantial $258,514 on October 15th for two repeat willful serious violations and two repeat general violations.
And this is the part most people miss... Unlike Roof Doctor and Modern S Construction, the other companies mentioned are part of L&I’s Severe Violators Enforcement Program (SVEP). What does this mean? It signifies that these companies are under increased scrutiny from L&I due to the severity and frequency of their violations. SVEP aims to ensure these high-risk companies prioritize safety and prevent future incidents through more frequent inspections and stricter enforcement.
Ultimately, L&I emphasizes that employers are responsible for ensuring their workers use fall protection or guardrail systems when working above four feet. To help both employers and workers understand the safety rules and prevent falls, L&I offers a digital fall protection tool.
So, what can you do? If you see roofers working without fall protection, you can report it anonymously online or by calling L&I at 1-800-423-7733. Your call could save a life.
Now, let's open the floor for discussion. Do you think the current penalties are strong enough to deter companies from neglecting fall protection? Should there be stricter regulations or more frequent inspections? Or do you believe these incidents are simply unavoidable accidents inherent to the nature of the work? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
