Rockland contractor required to provide workers with fall protection

The US Department of Labor has obtained a consent injunction ordering a Rockland County roofing contractor and its principal to provide employees with fall protection equipment and make sure it is used at all company worksites, as required by federal law.

The federal order found that, by allowing workers to do roofing work without fall protection, the company is exposing them to imminent danger of death or serious harm. Since 2019, the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited ALJ Home Improvement, Inc. several times for fall-related violations, including after company employees suffered fatal falls in 2019 and 2022.

In May of this year, ALJ and its owner, Jose Lema, signed a settlement agreement with OSHA to resolve and affirm willful citations the agency issued in 2021, which includes enhances provisions for correcting and preventing fall hazards. Entered in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, the injunction requires ALJ and Lema to comply with the enhanced abatement provisions of the settlement agreement, including notifying OSHA of future company jobsites, providing all supervisors with OSHA 30-hour safety training and all employees with OSHA 10-hour safety training, and retaining a qualified safety consultant to develop safety, health and disciplinary programs and conduct worksite inspections.

If ALJ or Lema fail to comply with the agreement, the department may file a contempt motion in federal court.