A general contracting company has been sentenced to probation and to pay restitution to a dead worker’s estate in connection with the fatality. Workers weren’t using fall protection when the death occurred.
Trustworthy LLC, dba Trustworthy Roofing and Siding, was sentenced to five years’ probation for violating OSHA standards leading to the death of an employee. The company will also pay restitution of $305,275 to the estate of the employee who died.
Via its owner, Derico Ferreira, Trustworthy had previously pleaded guilty to one count of willfully violating OSHA standards by failing to provide fall protection to employees installing a roof on a two-story residential home in Fair Lawn, NJ, which caused the death of an employee.
Fall protection on site, not used
On Oct. 15, 2016, Ferreira and four employees were installing the roof, but the company didn’t provide its employees any personal fall protection equipment, such as harnesses, lanyards, tie-off ropes, guard rails, nets or other fall protection.
Ferreira had the equipment in his truck and could have installed a guard rail system around the perimeter of the roof from a ladder, but didn’t, according to the U.S. Attorney who prosecuted the case.
Trustworthy was previously cited by OSHA in 2014 for failing to provide fall protection to its employees.
The plea agreement with the company also requires it to:
- provide training to all its employees
- follow enhanced safety provisions for future construction jobs
- notify OSHA of each new construction job, and
- permit OSHA to enter all of its worksites.
