LEAVITTSBURG, Ohio - The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Cleveland area office has cited B & B Plastering for what OSHA says are four willful and three serious safety violations.

The OSHA says the plaster and masonry contractor had employees work above two stories without guard rails or fall protection.

The citations follow two OSHA complaint investigations at separate local construction sites.

The OSHA says investigators observed employees working from scaffolds and exposed to falls of up to 24 feet at a Niles construction site in September 2015

In October 2015, employees were seen working on scaffolds at a Canfield construction site while workers were exposed to fall hazards of up to 16 feet.

“Falls remain the leading cause of death and injury on construction sites. In the past year, 26 Ohio workers died in falls,” said Howard Eberts, OSHA’s area director in Cleveland.

The company's citation says they also failed to provide safe means to access working platforms of the scaffold, install adequate footings and failed to ensure employees wore head protection when required.

B & B Plastering was cited for similar hazards in 2010.

The company could be fined $131,440 in proposed penalties.