ROCK & TAIT EXTERIORS, LLC

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, ROCK & TAIT EXTERIORS, LLC — a roofing contractors facility located at 2332 5TH STREET, EAU CLAIRE, WI 54703 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 3 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $20,250.00. The inspection case was opened on 2011-08-25.

Federal investigators determined that one or more violations at this facility were committed willfully — meaning the employer either knowingly failed to comply with OSHA standards or acted with plain indifference to employee safety. Willful violations carry the highest penalty multipliers under the OSH Act.

BLS Injury Data: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2022), this industry sector has an occupational injury rate of 2.8 per 100 full-time workers — 4% above the national average of 2.7. The sector fatality rate is 9.6 per 100,000 workers.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $20,250.00 is more than 5.6× the national average of $3,609.14 for facilities in the Construction sector (NAICS 238160). This sector encompasses 532,749 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $1,922.8M.

State Context: Within WI, this facility's penalty places it at the 97th percentile among 43,331 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,505.68.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 3 citations spanning 3 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 1 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 1 willful — The employer intentionally and knowingly committed the violation, demonstrating either an intentional disregard for the requirements of the OSH Act or plain indifference to employee safety and health. 1 other-than-serious — The violation has a direct relationship to job safety and health but is unlikely to cause death or serious physical harm.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning October 19, 2011 with the latest abatement deadline set for October 24, 2011. Of the 3 total citations, 0 (0%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $20,250.00 reflects OSHA's gravity-based penalty calculation methodology, which considers the severity of potential injury, the probability of occurrence, the employer's size, good faith, and violation history. The per-citation average of $6,750.00 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement action against Rock & Tait Exteriors, LLC reveals a critical breakdown in fall protection protocols, characterized by a high-gravity willful violation of 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(13). In the residential roofing industry (NAICS 238160), fall hazards represent the leading cause of fatalities, yet the employer demonstrated a purposeful disregard for OSHA requirements or plain indifference to employee safety. The $19,250 penalty for this single willful citation—significantly higher than standard serious violations for the period—legalistically signifies that the employer was aware of the hazardous condition but failed to mitigate it. The inspection pattern identifies a systemic failure in site safety management rather than an isolated lapse. By coupling the willful fall protection violation with a serious ladder safety infraction (1926.102(a)(1)), the data suggests a broader culture of non-compliance regarding vertical access and work-at-height operations. Furthermore, the inclusion of a general electrical safety violation (1926.416(a)(3)) indicates that supervisory oversight failed to address fundamental jobsite hazards. For workers, these findings translate to an environment where catastrophic injury from falls or electrocution was a foreseeable outcome. The gravity of these citations suggests that the facility lacked a functional safety and health management system, necessitating rigorous third-party auditing to rectify entrenched behavioral and structural safety deficits.