There are many roofing companies out there to choose from. You always want to make sure that the company you choose is on the “up and up” like David Bange Roofing in South Florida. One company in Cincinnati, Ohio didn’t seem to know this. They messed up BIG TIME. And for their troubles, an Ohio court ordered the roofer to pay a huge fine.
Huge Fine
The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has ordered a Holland, Ohio roofing contractor to immediately take care of and fix up all safety hazards at his job sites and to pay a whopping $341,972 in unpaid penalties that the company has accumulated since 2014.
Can you imagine having that sort of fine levied on you? You really had to be doing some things wrong for that size fine. And obviously, the company was not addressing the issues, as they never paid even part of the fine. Nor did they take any safety precautions that were outlined.
Ohio Court Ruling
The Ohio court gave the Casey Bortles Company a deadline of ten days to provide proof that it has addressed the safety hazards and paid the fine. Ten days are definitely not going to be enough, though.
Amazingly, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has inspected and cited the Casey Bortles Company seven times since 2014 for exposing workers to fall hazards, failing to provide training to avoid those fall injuries, failing to provide eye protection, and failure to implement an accident prevention program. You read that right seven times!
OSHA said the Ohio contractor has never contested an inspection citation, paid a penalty, or provided any proof that the safety problems have been eliminated. That is not exactly complying with the ruling.
“Employers must comply with the law,” Ken Nishiyama Atha, an OSHA Chicago regional administrator, said in a statement. “OSHA requirements protect workers from serious hazards. They are not just paperwork exercises.”
Bortles Responds
When contacted, Mr. Bortles said that he is only a small subcontractor and he is unable financially to pay such a large fine or even comply with all the safety remediations that OSHA is requiring.
As for paying the fine, “I don’t know what I can do. I don’t have the money. What are they going to do?” Mr. Bortles said.
A fine like this can actually put a company out of business, honestly. And that may be the intention, anyway.
This is what can happen when the rules are not followed in the roofing industry. We here at David Bange Roofing are licensed, bonded and insured as well as providing all the safety necessities for our roofing contractors. Call us now for all of your roofing needs and questions. We are a top of the line roofing contractor in the South Florida area.
We cover and service all of the following cities in the Broward County including Fort Lauderdale, Davie, Cooper City, Miramar, Margate, Coral Springs, Sunrise, Tamarac, Hollywood, Pompano Beach, Plantation, Pembroke Pines, Deerfield Beach, Weston, Coconut Creek, Hallandale Beach, Lauderhill, Oakland Park, Dania Beach, Lauderdale by the Sea, Wilton Manors, Lauderdale Lakes, and Lighthouse Point.