OSHA Fines Orchids Builders $450K for repeat fall protection hazards

OSHA recently cited Orlando, Florida-based roofing company Orchids Builders LLC for willfully and repeatedly exposing workers to fall hazards at residential construction sites.

Orchids Builders LLC has been inspected seven times since 2023. All cases included fall protection violations.

During the agency’s two most-recent inspections:

• On Jan. 21, investigators found Orchids Builders exposed workers to a 10-foot fall hazard when it failed to provide them with fall protection while they installed sheathing on a sloped roof at a Rockledge worksite.
• On March 10, investigators found the employer exposed a worker to a 9-foot fall hazard while installing metal hurricane clips at an adjacent worksite.

OSHA cited the employer for two willful and four repeat violations and proposed $349,754 in penalties.

Repeat fall protection hazards with up to 20 foot drops

OSHA’s investigations reveal a pattern of willful, repeat safety violations at Orchids Builders’ worksites.

In March 2023, OSHA issued a $6,250 fine for lack of fall protection while employees installed trusses and framework on a 12-foot-high roof in Windermere.

On Oct. 1, 2024, OSHA issued a $14,195 repeat fine after it found employees were exposed to a fall hazard over 10 feet while installing waterproofing roof tape on a 4:12 pitched roof in Apopka.

Two weeks later on Oct. 15, OSHA issued another $14,195 repeat fine for missing fall protection while employees installed plywood decking and engineered trusses ranging from 10-20 feet in the air on a 5:12 pitch roof, also in Apopka.

One month later on Nov. 14, OSHA issued four citations totaling $25,406 after inspecting another Windermere location with a fall hazard over 14 feet. One citation was a repeat fine for absent fall protection. Two additional fines included ladders that only extended two feet beyond the roof landing and failure to maintain a written fall protection training and employee certification program. The other citation was for employees not wearing eye protection while using nail guns to install shingles.

One month later on Dec. 16, OSHA issued three citations totaling $40,315 after inspecting a Winter Garden worksite with a drop of nearly 12 feet. Employees were again not provided fall protection, a written training program was not kept, and ladders only extended 18 inches above the roof landing.

At the two sites inspected in 2026, OSHA found Orchids Builders again:

• Failed to prepare and maintain written fall protection training certificates for employees at both worksites
• Did not ensure workers had eye protection while using nail guns, exposing them to eye injuries
• Allowed workers to use ladders with side rails that did not extend at least 36 inches above the roof landing, increasing the likelihood and risk of a fall

During the past four years, OSHA issued over $450,000 in fines to Orchids Builders. All prior citations were settled informally for a lower amount.