A roofing contractor in Akron, OH was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter. One of his employees had fallen to his death from a three-story roof where he was working without fall protection in November of 2017.

The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated Jim Coon of Jim Coon Construction after the accident. They found that he failed to install fall protection systems, ignored other safety hazards and failed to provide workers’ compensation coverage for employees.

In addition to his sentence he 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,” said Loren Sweatt, Washington, D.C.-based principal deputy assistant secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health. “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.”

Read more from OSHA here.