Last week while helping a client with his OSHA fine for fall protection violations an OSHA representative told me heavy scrutiny will continue on the residential construction industry. I learned that the Local Emphasis Program in Region 1 on Fall Protection will continue. I talk about this in our fall protection trainings hoping to alert contractors that they need to use fall protection when working at heights 6 feet or more above a lower level.

The State of Massachusetts has made significant changes to the Lead Safe Renovator Contractor (LSRC) License application. The changes allow contractors to attest that they currently comply with the RRP laws' medical monitoring and respiratory requirements. In August the most recent application was released superseding former forms. I covered this in our RRP 5 year Renewal Refresher course last week and got some interesting feedback from the students.

The chances of contractors getting cited and fined by OSHA for fall protection violations are increasing significantly. In recent fall protection classes in Mass and CT,  the men are telling me they rarely see other contractors wearing harnesses or using guard rails while up on roofs, framing new houses or on upper elevations. OSHA is receiving hundreds of complaints and referrals from employees, sub-contractors, competitor contractors, unions, and even people just passing by! In a recent JLC article the author shows how OSHA logs enforcement activity of site visits on the OSHA website. 

Remodelers and contractors spend hours or days estimating their projects fully expecting that after all the bills are paid the remaining money matches the estimated amount.

With work in the Boston metropolitan area heating up remodelers are tasked handling busier workloads without enough qualified lead carpenters on staff. Some are bringing in sub-contractors to handle jobs normally done by company employees with trepidation. Some are telling customers they will have to wait until spring running the risk of losing the work and likely the customer to a competitor.

It must stink to be this contractor in Connecticut today. Can you imagine being fined for almost $300,000.00? Worse, can you imagine what it looks like to consumers thinking of hiring you with pending proposals, when they Google your company and the OSHA fines pop up in the search results? OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is an APP For That! A new APP to help contractors comply with OSHA safety program requirements is out. We have been looking for a solution that leverages technology to easily conduct and record safety meetings and is cost effective. OSHA is hitting a lot of contractors for fall protection violations and most have no safety program, manual or safety meeting records. It doesn't look good (FINE$) if you can't produce some evidence that you have safety meeting program.

We all remember 2010 when thousands of contractors frantically lined up to obtain their EPA RRP Certified Renovator training. The fear of a $37,500.00 fine from the EPA compelled contractors to become certified. As you remember the training certification is good for 5 years then you need to take the 4 hour refresher class. Well before you know it the five years will be up in early 2015.

10 ways OSHA finds your job site;

In Region 1 (New England), OSHA allows contractors the opportunity to reduce their fines by 50% if they meet certain eligibility criteria. The policy is called the Expedited Informal Agreement Settlement or EISA. Typically there are on average three citations on a job site.   Three SERIOUS fines can add up to $21,000.00. If you qualify for EISA saving $11,500.00 will be a big help.  

I recently helped a contractor client to get his fines reduced and the 50% reduction paid for the safety equipment he was needed to have to protect his workers.

The chances of having your construction job site inspected by OSHA are extremely high if you are a residential contractor. Citations and fines for fall protection violations are again on the top of the 10 most cited listed. OSHA's number one enforcement focus is fall protection in the residential industry. 2014 OSHA inspections are up over 60% over 2013!  The question is not if, but when will your job site be inspected by OSHA? 

What happens when your site is inspected?

The OSHA officer will have reason (probable cause) to come into your site.

Then he/she will Identify themselves and tell why they are there. You can deny them entrance however be forewarned that they will likely come back with a warrant and the calvary. This bad faith will likely disqualify you for a 50% reduction in fine amounts.

Once on site, they will conduct an opening conference, assess the site and speak to your workers. You will have the opportunity to abate unsafe conditions immediately.