Harnesses On, Not Tied Off: Oregon OSHA Proposes $317,587 in Repeat Fall Protection Penalties

Oregon OSHA has cited a Beaverton construction company with proposed penalties totaling $317,587 for repeat violations tied to fall hazards. The company has appealed.

The citations followed an inspection of a jobsite in Molalla, where work was being done on the roof of a two-story house. Oregon OSHA alleges that employees had their full-body harnesses on but had not connected them to any anchor, and that the company had no fall protection system in place for a potential fall of as much as 19 feet.

What Oregon OSHA alleged

The agency's Oct. 15 news release describes three violations:

• Fall protection. Oregon OSHA alleges the company did not provide, install, and implement a fall protection system where employees were exposed to a fall of 6 feet or more to a lower level. Proposed penalty: $167,294.
• Ladder. The company was cited for not making sure a ladder extended at least 3 feet above the roof surface so workers could safely get on and off at the top. Proposed penalty: $138,146.
• Training records. Oregon OSHA says the company did not have certification records showing employees were trained to recognize fall hazards and to follow procedures that minimize them. Proposed penalty: $12,147.

The fall protection and ladder items were both fifth-repeat violations. Oregon OSHA says that means the company was caught violating those requirements for the sixth time in less than two years. The training records item was a first repeat. Under Oregon OSHA's rules, penalties multiply when an employer commits repeat offenses. The two fifth-repeat items alone account for $305,440 of the total.

Oregon OSHA says the company has corrected the fall protection and ladder violations and is under an order to correct the training records violation. Employers have 30 calendar days after receiving a citation to appeal, and the company filed an appeal, so the findings and amounts are not final.

"Any employer who directs employees to work at heights must address potential fall hazards, with an emphasis on prevention," said Renée Stapleton, administrator for Oregon OSHA. "To repeatedly fail to do so only increases the risk that a worker will be seriously injured or killed."

Takeaways for employers

This case is a good reminder that fall protection is a system, not a piece of gear. A few practical lessons:

1. A harness only works when it is tied off. Before anyone steps onto a roof, confirm there is a suitable anchor, that each worker is connected to it, and that a supervisor checks tie-off throughout the shift, not just at the start.
2. Set ladders up for the top, not just the bottom. The ladder should extend at least 3 feet above the landing so workers have something to hold while stepping on and off. A ladder that is too short is a fall hazard all by itself.
3. Keep training records you can produce. Training that is not documented is hard to prove. Keep a written record of who was trained, when, by whom, and on what, and make sure it is current for every crew member who works at height.
4. Fix the pattern, not just the jobsite. Repeat citations grow quickly. When a hazard is found on one site, check every active job for the same problem and close the gap company-wide.

Oregon OSHA also offers free consultation and technical help, with no fault, no citations, and no penalties, plus free fall protection video training in English and Spanish.

Questions about fall protection programs? Contact Provisio EHS at 385-316-2837.

Sources

Retrieved Oct. 22, 2026.

• Oregon OSHA news release, Oct. 15, 2026