June 29, 2022

US Department of Labor investigation of 21-year-old worker's fatal fall
finds Burleson roofing contractor again ignored fall safety requirement

Despite November 2021 violation, Shielder Ventures LLC failed to take required actions

HOUSTON – On Jan. 26, 2022, a 21-year-old roofing worker suffered fatal injuries after falling about 30 feet through a skylight atop a Houston building, a fatality that a Burleson contractor could have been prevented if they had heeded a U.S. Department of Labor citation issued one month earlier.

Inspectors with the department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined Shielder Ventures LLC – which operates as D&G Quality Roofing – failed to provide the worker with a personal fall arrest system.

In November 2021, OSHA issued D&G Quality Roofing a citation for the same violation after an inspection at a work site near Austin.

OSHA issued citations for two willful violations for failing to provide fall arrest systems and a serious violation for failing to train employees on using the safety equipment properly. D&G Quality Roofing faces proposed penalties totaling $223,341.

"Despite receiving an OSHA citation a month prior for not protecting its workers from falls – the construction industry's leading cause of fatalities – D&G Quality Roofing ignored its obligation and exposed workers to danger, resulting in a preventable tragedy," said OSHA Area Director Mhekeba Hager in Houston. "Had this young worker's employer required the use of a personal fall arrest system, a family would not be grieving this terrible loss."

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 351 of the 1,008 construction workers who died on the job in 2020 were victims of falls from elevation.

Shielder Ventures LLC is a commercial restoration and repair roofing company and employs 12 workers, five of whom were at the work site during the fatal incident.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Learn about three simple steps to prevent falls.

# # #

Media Contact:

Juan J. Rodríguez, 972-850-4709, rodriguez.juan@dol.gov

Release Number: 22-1093-DAL

U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The department's Reasonable Accommodation Resource Center converts departmental information and documents into alternative formats, which include Braille and large print. For alternative format requests, please contact the department at (202) 693-7828 (voice) or (800) 877-8339 (federal relay).