An Ohio roofing contractor who has never paid penalties for one of the many OSHA citations it’s been issued was ordered earlier this month to get right with OSHA.
The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Holland-based Casey Bortles to immediately comply with the final orders resulting from uncontested citations. The court also ordered Bortles to provide proof within 10 days that he has abated cited safety hazards on his job sites, and pay $341,972 in unpaid penalties proposed by OSHA.
Since 2014, the agency has inspected and cited Bortles seven times for exposing workers to falls, failing to train workers on fall hazards, provide eye protection, and implement an accident prevention program. Bortles has never contested a citation, paid a penalty, or provided proof of abatement of any cited violation.
“Employers must comply with the law,” said OSHA Chicago Regional Administrator Ken Nishiyama Atha. “OSHA requirements protect workers from serious hazards. They are not just paperwork exercises.”
