Four months after a Vermont home-improvement-company employee fell to his death, federal regulators determined the scaffolding the worker was standing on did not have enough guardrails, The Keene Sentinel reports. It marks the second time Home Improvement Co. of Vermont, doing business as Jancewicz & Son, has come under OSHA scrutiny for scaffolding safety violations. Prior to the September death of an employee, Vermont safety regulators cited the home-improvement company for similar scaffolding reasons in a violation in April 2017.

The second fall occurred in New Hampshire, prompting federal regulators—OSHA officials—to get involved in the investigation.

The federal agency issued its findings in January, citing Jancewicz & Son with five violations, all listed as serious. Three of the violations were related to scaffolding safety, the other two pertained to requirements for regular hazard inspections on site and training employees to recognize scaffolding-related hazards.

Scaffolding on the site lacked guardrails on all open sides, and OSHA also found scaffolding lacked fall protection systems, such as safety nets. Jancewicz & Son did not protect employees on site from "falling off the gable end of the roof" during work and scaffolding on the site did not have a safe access way, such as a ladder or stair towers.

The settlement agreement stipulates that the company pay the civil penalty in monthly installments from March 1 to Aug. 1. The case will remain open until the company pays the penalty in full.

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