Waukegan, Illinois-based roofing contractor
ECS Roofing Professionals is being sued by the U.S. Department of Labor following several safety violations that occurred at job sites in Waukesha and Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
The lawsuit was filed in the Northern District of Illinois last week to force ECS Roofing to pay $360,531 in penalties. The company is accused of repeatedly exposing employees to falls from high elevations.
An investigation led by the Department of Labor found that
Joshua Herion, operator of ECS roofing, did not provide employees with required fall arrest systems, a safety net or guardrails as they installed siding and roofing materials atop roofs in Hoffman Estates and Waukesha.
OSHA issued ECS Roofing a $226,530 fine for the Illinois violations and a $134,001 fine for the Wisconsin violations. ECS Roofing then contested both citations, which were later affirmed by the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Despite the commission's decision affirming the penalties, Herion has failed to pay the penalties.
"The Department of Labor has taken this action to force Joshua Herion and his company, ECS Roofing Professionals Inc., to comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission order to pay more than $360,000 in penalties," said Christine Heri, regional solicitor of labor in Chicago. "The Occupational Safety and Health Act requires employers to comply with federal safety and health regulations to meet their legal obligation to protect workers on the job."
Since 2014, Herion and his companies have been cited by OSHA nine times for violations related to fall protection.
