$584K In Fines For NJ Contractor Cited For Exposing Workers To Falls

MAHWAH, NJ - A New Jersey roofing contractor has been fined once again for exposing workers to deadly fall hazards without protection, U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) said Thursday.

Guelsin Lima, operating as Extreme Roofing and Siding LLC, was previously fined in July at an Upper Saddle River worksite for exposing workers to a 30-foot fall hazard without fall protection, improperly using ladders, and failing to provide head and eye protection during work on a Toll Brothers Inc. residential construction project, OSHA said in a news release.

The company was subsequently issued nine willful and three serious violations and a proposed $584,333 in penalties as a result of the inspection.

The violations aren’t the first issued to Lima: In October, OSHA announced citations for four willful and two serious violations, and faces more than $247,000 in proposed fines after inspectors found a lack of fall protections during roof installations in Mahwah, Upper Saddle River and River Vale. Read more: Contractor Exposes Mahwah Workers To Falls, Faces $247K In Fines: OSHA

“Guelsin Lima has a significant OSHA history and is fully aware of what OSHA standards require,” tOSHA Area Director Lisa Levy said in a statement. “This latest inspection offers further proof that the operator of Extreme Roofing and Siding LLC simply refuses to comply with the law. We will use our full authority to hold this employer, and others who continually put employees in danger, accountable.”

986 construction workers died on the job in 2021, with 378 of those fatalities related to falls from elevation, per the the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Lima has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, the office said.