GLENCOE, IL – A north suburban contractor faces $266,175 in fines after federal workplace safety inspectors found employees working on a Glencoe roof without fall protection in August.
Miguel Reyes of Zion does business as Corner Construction Corp., according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Violations discovered Aug. 19 during an OSHA inspection at a construction site in the 100 block of Hazel Avenue include willful failure to protect workers from falls of up to 25 feet.
OSHA also accused the company of improperly using ladders and allowing roofers to climb while transporting materials, creating a serious fall hazard.
The fines include $161,323 for the willful violation, $88,721 for a repeat violation and $16,131 for a serious violation.
“OSHA often finds that contractors repeatedly violate the same safety rules because they believe their workers will not fall victim to injuries,” Sukhvir Kaur, director of OSHA’s Chicago North Region, said in a statement. “It only takes seconds to lose your footing, fall off a roof and suffer serious and all too often fatal injuries.
Federal officials said falls remain the leading cause of death for construction workers, accounting for nearly 40 percent of all deaths. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 395 fall-related deaths in 2022 among the 1,069 workers who died on the job.
At the time of the most recent citations, Reyes' company was already liable for $82,000 in unpaid fines assessed by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
In February 2024, OSHA issued more than $19,000 in penalties to Corner Construction for repeated violations for failing to provide fall protection to workers at a construction site in Downers Grove.
According to OSHA officials, the company had already faced similar allegations after three inspections in 2022 and 2023.
“Miguel Reyes continues to demonstrate a chronic disregard for safe work practices,” Kaur said, “and is willing to put the lives and well-being of his employees at risk.”