North Suburban Contractor Who Shows 'Chronic Disregard' For Safety Faces More OSHA Fines

GLENCOE, IL — A north suburban contractor is facing $266,175 in fines after federal workplace safety inspectors found employees working on a roof in Glencoe without fall protection in August.

Miguel Reyes, of Zion, operates as Corner Construction Corp., according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA.

Discovered during an Aug. 19 OSHA inspection at a construction site in the 100 block of Hazel Avenue, the violations include a willful failure to protect workers from falls of up to 25 feet.

OSHA also cited the company for failing to use ladders properly and for allowing roofers to climb while carrying materials, creating a serious fall hazard.

The fines include $161,323 for the willful violation, $88,721 for a repeat violation and $16,131 for a serious violation.

“OSHA often finds contractors violating the same safety regulations repeatedly, because they believe their workers will not fall victim to injury," OSHA Chicago North Area Director Sukhvir Kaur said in a statement. "It takes just seconds to lose footing, to fall off a roof and suffer serious and all-too-often fatal injuries."

Federal officials said falls remain the leading cause of death for construction workers, accounting for nearly 40 percent of fatalities — there were 395 fall-related deaths among the 1,069 workers to die on the job in 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

At the time of the latest citations, Reyes' company was already liable for $82,000 in unpaid penalties assessed by the federal workplace safety agency.

In February 2024, OSHA assessed more than $19,000 in penalties over repeat violations for Corner Construction having failed to provide workers with fall protection at a worksite in Downers Grove.

It previously faced similar citations after a trio of inspections in 2022 and 2023, according to OSHA officials.

“Miguel Reyes continues to show a chronic disregard for safe work operations," Kaur said, "and a willingness to jeopardize his employees’ lives and well-being."