The United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited the owner of a home improvement company in Maine after a worker fell off a roof and died. Inspectors found that the owner of the company knowingly failed to ensure the use of fall protection at his worksites and had a history of violations.

Shawn Purvis owns Purvis Home Improvement Co. Inc. and OSHA cited him for egregious willful, repeat, and serious workplace safety violations. The Saco, ME roofing contractor faces penalties totaling $1,792,726 stemming from a workers’ death on December 13, 2018 at a Portland, ME worksite, and for exposed workers at an Old Orchard Beach worksite. He had an extensive history of violations.

He received 13 egregious willful violations for failing to ensure the use of fall protection, one for every exposed employee per job site. Each citation carries the maximum allowable penalty of $132,598. He was also cited for failing to provide fall protection training to his employees and for exposing them to electrocution and eye hazards. He has received seven violations of fall protection requirements since September 2006.

“Effective fall protection can prevent tragedies like this when an employer ensures the proper use of legally required lifesaving protection.” Said OSHA Area Director David McGuan, in Augusta, Maine. “An ongoing refusal to follow the law exposes other employees to potentially fatal or disabling injuries. Employers cannot evade their responsibility to ensure a safe and healthful worksite.”

Purvis was indicted for manslaughter and workplace manslaughter by a Portland grand jury in April of this year. The jury charged that his repeated violations of OSHA’s fall protection standards caused his employee’s death.

View the OSHA press release here.