Contractor Exposes Mahwah Workers To Fall Hazard, Faces $247K In Penalties: OSHA

MAHWAH, NJ — A New Jersey roofing contractor, with a history of exposing workers to potentially deadly falls, "again intentionally failed to protect workers from falls," as they installed roofs in Mahwah, Upper Saddle River and River Vale, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration said.

Guelsin Lima, operating as Extreme Roofing and Siding with 16 employees, was issued citations for four willful and two serious violations, and faces more than $247,000 in proposed fines, the federal agency said.

"Guelsin Lima continues to put employees at risk of potentially fatal injuries by blatantly permitting them to work without critical safeguards like fall protection," OSHA Area Director Lisa Levy, in Hasbrouck Heights, said. "Past OSHA inspections have made the employer fully aware of federal requirements for keeping workers safe and yet they callously ignore them."

As part of a regional emphasis program on falls in construction, OSHA opened an inspection in March at a Mahwah worksite of Lima after observing an employee working on a roof without fall protection. In three subsequent inspections, the agency determined that Lima failed to provide fall protection, and head and/or eye protection for workers installing roof shingles.

Falls are the leading cause of death in construction work. OSHA reports that 351 of the 1,008 construction workers who died on the job in 2020 were victims of falls from elevations.

Extreme Roofing and Siding in Trenton has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with the agency's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.