A Shelton roofing company faces more than $127,000 in fines after receiving citations for not protecting its workers.
Total Remodeling Services, LLC is being punished for violations an inspector from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration allegedly found in April on a job site in Stratford.
However, OSHA has previously cited the company for the same violations in 2009, 2010 and in May 2011, which is why the proposed fine this time totals $127,560.
The business is based on River Road in Shelton. Efforts to contact the company Friday were not successful. The secretary of state’s commercial recording division lists the company’s principal as Bruno P. De Oliveira. That information is from 2010.
According to the citation issued by OSHA, the violations mostly have to due with ladder safety.
“There is a simple truth that employers must recognize: Fall protection is a requirement, never an option, when employees work at heights of 6 feet or more,” Robert Kowalski, OSHA’s area director, said in a prepared statement.
According to the OSHA violations, a worker for Total Remodeling Services trying to get onto a roof extended his ladder by hand while he was still on the ladder.
The citations also state Total Remodeling Services did not train workers on proper safety precautions, nor did the company use safety devices such as nets or guard rails for people doing roof work.
“Falls are the number one killer in construction work,” Kowalski said. “An employer who repeatedly and knowingly fails to safeguard his employees against falls exposes them to death or disabling injuries.”
The company has the right to appeal the fine or request a conference.