Georgia Roofing Subcontractor Fined After Teen Falls from Roof

JVS Roofing of Jonesboro, Georgia, faces fines after a 17-year-old worker fell 24 feet from a roof at a construction site in New Castle, Pennsylvania. The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found that the company violated federal safety laws by allowing a minor to perform dangerous roofing work without proper fall protection and training. The teenager suffered minor injuries, and the company was cited for four serious safety violations, resulting in a $16,500 fine.

Further investigation revealed that JVS Roofing had also underpaid its workers by misclassifying 30 employees as independent contractors to avoid paying overtime. The Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division recovered $92,640 in back wages for the affected workers and imposed an additional civil penalty of $6,399 for violating child labor laws. This incident is part of a broader issue of non-compliance with federal labor standards in the construction industry, as evidenced by recent similar cases, such as the fine issued to JGN Services LLC in Florida.