The United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has
cited Affordable Exteriors Inc. for 2 willful safety and health violations. They come in response
to an inspections in June of 2014 at a building location in the 3900 block of North 191st Street in
Elkhorn. The violations are for failure to provide required fall protection and fall protection
training. These violations carry proposed penalties of $140,000.
“Affordable Exteriors clearly hasn’t made worker safety a priority. It has consistently broken the
law by failing to provide fall protection to those employees working on roofs,” said Marcia
Drumm, OSHA’s acting regional administrator in Kansas City, Missouri. “Since 2005, the
company repeatedly refused to protect employees and provide proof that it fixed hazards found
during OSHA inspections.”
Though just two citations, a heavy fine was assessed given the company’s history of offences. In
10 years, the company was cited 5 times for fall hazard exposure making this a prime example of
why you must follow the instructions of OSHA inspectors after an audit. OSHA does not give up
and will not stop reviewing your worksite. And each time you are cited for the same violation,
the fines go higher. So if you have recently been audited by OSHA, it is imperative you do as
you are instructed. If you are not sure how to enact these new requirements, contact a qualified
third party auditing firm to help you put them in place. I can promise you, any associated costs
will be far more appealing than paying additional penalties for noncompliance.
If you have any questions about this case or about putting OSHA requirements into place at your
facility, please contact us. If you have anything to add about the importance of following the
regulations laid forth by OSHA, please leave a comment.
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