A 15-year-old plunged 50 feet to his death on his first day on the job at an Alabama roofing company, federal officials say.
A 15-year-old plunged 50 feet to his death on his first day on the job at an Alabama roofing company, federal officials say.
WTF? Why the hell was a 15 year old working on a roof like that in the first place?
Because child labor is cheap and legal, welcome back to the Dickensian times.
“We at Apex Roofing & Restoration are truly heartbroken by the senseless death of a minor at a job site in 2019,” a spokesperson for the company said. “The tragic incident occurred when a subcontractor’s worker brought his sibling to a worksite without Apex’s knowledge or permission.”
That's why they do this subcontractor shit, not just as an excuse to deny the people who do their work benefits but to deflect blame whenever someone is injured/dies.
The latest penalty of $117,175 comes from the Wage and Hour Division, but in December 2019, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration also cited Apex Roofing $159,118 after it said the company exposed employees to fall hazards.
In a citation, OSHA officials said employees working nearly 50 feet above the ground didn’t have safety ropes and weren’t properly trained.
Turns out they have a whole history of safety violations
Most roofers don't tie off.
When I got my chimney repaired, the guy walked across the peak of the roof, not even holding onto anything, like he was walking down the street.
Not trying to deflect blame on the workers, and I'm not sure what else the company is responsible for, but occupational safety is often an afterthought to folks who work a trade. You should see some of the shit people pull working on live power in maintenance departments at big industrial sites like steel mills.
It's like the fines are so small that the company doesn't really care if they get fined.
100k fine will definitely prevent this from happening again