Ignoring OSHA Could Cost You More Than Just Money

By Evelyn Witterholt, RCS Reporter. 

Learn from roofing industry lawyer Trent Cotney about how detrimental an OSHA fine could be to your business. 

Roofing safety is a top priority for all companies in the industry. Part of maintaining a safe working environment is staying up to date with OSHA regulations. Although requirements can vary from state to state, there’s no denying that no matter where your company is, getting an OSHA citation is the last thing your company needs. 

Trent Cotney is currently a partner at Adams and Reese, and has been working in construction law in the roofing industry for over 20 years. He recently spoke with us in this RLW about why staying up to date with OSHA rules is vital for your company’s wallet and reputation. Trent tells us he’s seeing contractors getting fines over six figures, an amount that is not ideal even for bigger businesses. And the problem of getting fined isn’t just a financial one, but a reputational one as well. 

“There's issues with press, and how your reputation appears to those that maybe watching a news program where it says, ‘Hey this contractor had a fatality on the job site,’” Trent says. “You never know who's watching those videos, right? It could be your competition or it could be your potential customers.” 

He also tells us about how OSHA recently announced an electronic record-keeping requirement. This new standard necessitates companies to keep an electronic record of their 300, 300A and 301 logs that competitors and customers could potentially access. Because of this requirement and in order to instill a culture of safety, Trent highly recommends you always thoroughly document anything safety related. He also recommends you consistently update your safety manual in accordance with new OSHA rules and regulations. 

“If you're in an area that may have some significant regulations, you want to make sure that you're updating your safety manual to reflect that and that you're training employees on that because OSHA will hone in on that,” Trent recommends. 

Learn more about Adams & Reese in their Coffee Shop directory or visit adamsandreese.com.

The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.

Read, Listen or Watch the full episode to learn more about the importance of staying up to date with OSHA rules and which ones to look out for.