August 15, 2016
OSHA finds Furia Roofing Co. Inc. again exposes employees to life-threatening falls at a Bergen County, NJ work site, proposes $79K in fines
Employer name: Furia Roofing Co. Inc., 2 Monhegan St., Clifton, New Jersey
Inspection site: 699 Route 46 East, Teterboro, New Jersey
Citations issued: On Aug. 1, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations for one repeat and three serious violations.
Investigation findings: OSHA initiated an inspection on April 25, 2016, after a compliance officer observed Furia Roofing employees working on low slope roofs without fall protection and without effective fall protection, resulting in the repeat violations.
The serious violations relate to issues with fall protection equipment.
Quote: "Furia Roofing has repeatedly violated OSHA standards by failing to provide employees with fall protection and continuing to expose construction workers to serious injury or death. This failure to ensure worker safety indicates a problematic safety and health management system," said Lisa Levy, director of OSHA's Hasbrouck Heights Area Office. "OSHA will not tolerate this company continually endangering its workers. Furia should correct these hazards and implement an effective injury and illness prevention program for its workers."
Proposed penalties: $79,240
The citation can be viewed at: http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/FuriaRoofingCoInc_1142474.pdf
The employer has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, request a conference with OSHA's area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
To ask questions; obtain compliance assistance; file a complaint; or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Hasbrouck Heights Area Office at 201-288-1700.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.
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Contractor Profile: Furia Roofing Inc.
August 18, 2010
Dan D. Furia believes the company's philosophy of quality and service creates growth.
Sponsored by Allied Building Products Corporation Dan D. Furia, president of Furia Roofing Inc. in Clifton, N.J., believes the company’s philosophy of quality and service creates growth.
“We believe our commitment to this ideal is the main reason for our dramatic growth since the company’s inception,” Furia told Roofing Contractor magazine.
Furia Roofing, No. 86 on Roofing Contractor’s Top 100 list (see page 34), was formed in 1994 by Daniel Furia Sr. and Daniel D. Furia as a full-service commercial roofing company.
Today Furia is the sole principal of Furia Roofing, having taken over the company in 1999 with the retirement of Furia Sr. Since the younger Furia took the helm, the business has grown “threefold.”
“As our reputation and business grew we became authorized applicators of many of the industry’s top manufacturers,” Furia said. “We became a licensed Carlisle applicator in 1996, which greatly aided in our continued growth.”
In 1999, Furia Roofing built an office and warehouse, and in 2003 the company became a Carlisle ESP (Excellence in Single Ply) contractor. “By the end of 2009 we had installed in excess of 6 million square feet of Carlisle membrane alone,” Furia said. “In addition to the Carlisle installations we have extensive experience with built-up SBS.”Through the years, Furia Roofing has compiled an impressive list of satisfied customers, including Acme Supermarkets, AMB Property Corporation, Allied Building Products, AT&T, Barnes & Noble, Bear Stearns, Bed Bath & Beyond, Commerce Bank, Connell Corporation, Edwards Foods, Garden State Plaza Mall, Garden State Properties, Gucci International, Hartz Mountain, Home Depot, Kohl’s Department Stores, Lexus, Linens ’n Things, L’Oreal, Lowe’s Home Improvement, New Jersey Transit, New York Sports Club, Pathmark, PetSmart, PFG – AFI Food Services, Prestige Auto Group, Prudential Insurance, Pulte Homes, Robert Wood Johnson Hospital, Rockaway Mall, Simon Property Group, SJP Properties, Staples, Stop & Shop, Topcon Medical Systems, Unilever Corporation, United Parcel Service, University of Medicine & Dentistry, Wal-Mart and Whole Foods.
“What makes our company unique is our personal service,” Furia said. “I personally visit each job each no matter how busy we are. I believe my ready accessibility to the clients gives them the confidence they are getting the right job.”Furia Roofing just completed re-roofing the Gucci International American headquarters and shipping hub. “The project was an existing built-up roof over perlite insulation on a metal deck,” Furia said. “What was unique about this project was all the warehouse stock. Approximately 210,000 square feet is totally exposed and is not in boxes. The astronomical value of the inventory made off-hours work impossible.”
In the Gucci project, the challenge for Furia Roofing was to remove the existing roof without allowing any debris to contaminate the ocean of expensive designer clothing.
“We decided to literally tarp the entire interior of the building,” Furia said. “We attached clear 6 mil polyethylene sheeting to the bar joists on the entire building before starting the tear-off process. Attaching to the joists instead of simply draping the sheeting over the racks eliminated both our main obstacles.”
Furia offered some reliable advice to contractors: “Stay relevant and viable,” he said.“We have focused on the larger property managers in our area,” Furia said. “We have found they are financially solid and are taking full advantage of the overly competitive pricing a depressed economy yields.”
When he’s not running a roofing business, Furia is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys his Harley Davidson motorcycles and snowmobile.