Snohomish roofing company fined $3M for slate of safety violations

Allways Roofing, a Snohomish-based roofing company, is facing nearly $500,000 in new fines for disregarding several safety regulations — rules the company has a history of ignoring. Allways has amassed almost $3 million in fines in the past four years for safety violations.

The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) initiated an inspection into the company last November after L&I representatives reported roofers for the company were working on the roof of a two-story building in Tumwater without fall protection. In a return visit, L&I agents discovered workers were operating nail guns without eye protection, while another Allways Roofing employee took off his fall protection to install a vapor barrier.

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Allways Roofing was previously considered a “severe violator” by L&I for similar instances of violating mandatory safety precautions. Allways Roofing has reported at least seven serious injuries including five falls from heights and two eye injuries from nail guns.

L&I has inspected Allways Roofing 11 times in the past three years — with more than 100 violations in the last 10 years — all prompted by reports of roofers not wearing protective gear or being properly trained, according to L&I. Allways Roofing has amassed more than $3 million in fines since 2019.

“This company knows exactly what the rules are,” Craig Blackwood, Assistant Director for L&I’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, said in a prepared statement. “The foreman on site has been involved in at least four other citations in the past. They’re blatantly choosing to ignore the rules, putting workers at serious risk of injury or death.”

Approximately 300 to 400 construction workers fall to their deaths every year, making it the leading cause of death among construction workers on site. Most instances occurred while working at heights on roofs, ladders, and scaffolds, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Over the last decade, injuries from falls on construction projects increased by 32% over the last 10 years.

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L&I has a digital fall protection tool to help employers and workers learn fall protection rules to stay safe on the job.

If roofers working without fall protection is witnessed, residents can report it anonymously online or call L&I at 1-800-423-7733.