Employer previously violated settlement agreement with DOL
New Jersey contractor Janiec Roofing Inc. of Lodi is facing fines of $600,741 for several safety violations.
On Nov. 13, 2020, the employer entered into a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) after two 2019 inspections identified significant infractions related to fall protection and other safety issues. OSHA previously proposed a fine of $121,687 for nine violations.
The company agreed to establish a comprehensive written safety and health program, provide training to managers and workers and create daily safety checklists to identify and remove any hazards.
However, OSHA’s follow-up inspection in 2021 determined that the company failed to comply with the agreement and continued to expose workers to dangerous safety hazards. The agency proposed an additional $180,220 in penalties and cited the company with one failure-to-abate violation for not complying with the settlement agreement terms and not submitting documentation required to show compliance.
“Janiec Roofing’s failure to honor its agreement with OSHA and knowingly put workers at risk of serious injuries or worse is inexcusable,” said Lisa Levy, OSHA area director, in Hasbrouck Heights, N.J. “Intentional disregard of federal law will not be tolerated and OSHA will not hesitate to hold employers accountable when they ignore their legal responsibility and jeopardize the well-being of their hard-working employees.”
In December 2020, OSHA also looked into the company’s safety practices, and inspectors found employees working on a residential roof project in Paramus without proper fall protection. In January 2021, OSHA visited a Janiec work site in Saddle Brook where inspectors identified unsafe use of ladders and failures to ensure that workers used head, eye and fall protection.
These two inspections resulted in two willful, four repeat and three serious citations and $420,521 in penalties.
Previously, OSHA found that Milwaukee metal fabricating facility Tramont Manufacturing LLC continues to put its workers’ safety and health at risk, and proposed fines of $216,307.
