A Ohio county court sentenced Akron, Ohio, roofing contractor Jim Coon to prison after he pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter of an employee who fell working without required fall protection in 2017. The court’s action came after an investigation by OSHA that found the contractor had failed to install fall protection systems, according to an OSHA news release.
The judge sentenced Coon, the owner of Jim Coon Construction, three years in prison for ignoring safety hazards and failing to provide workers’ compensation coverage as required. Coon was ordered to pay $303,152 in restitution to the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation after pleading guilty to workers’ compensation fraud.
“Falls continue to be the leading cause of fatalities in the construction industry, which makes the use of proper protection essential,” Loren Sweatt, principal deputy assistant secretary of labor for Occupational Safety and Health, said in a public statement. “Jim Coon willfully disregarded OSHA fall protection regulations that could have prevented this tragedy. This case should serve as a reminder to all employers to comply with their legal obligation to provide required safety equipment, and protect employees on job sites.”
OSHA initially cited Coon and his company in November 2017, issuing $142,270 in fines for a serious and willful violation of fall protection hazards. The investigation found the worker was sitting on a bundle of shingles preparing for roof work to be performed and slipped on the damp roof surface. None of the three to four employees present on the jobsite were wearing fall protection equipment and OSHA determined none of the employees had received training on fall hazards.