Fastrack Erectors Convicted in Worker’s Fall Death

Fastrack Erectors, a Pacific, Mo.-based steel erection company, has been convicted of willful OSHA violations that led to the death of 22-year-old ironworker Eric Roach at a Kansas City construction site in 2014. Following a bench trial that concluded on Aug. 17, 2016, U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays ruled against DNRB, Inc., doing business as Fastrack Erectors, holding the company accountable for ignoring basic safety protocols that could have saved Roach’s life.

On July 24, 2014, Roach and another worker were guiding 26-foot-long bundles of roof decking onto narrow bar joists 30 feet above ground. Neither worker wore fall protection. The joists were only five to nine inches wide. Despite clear federal regulations requiring fall protection at heights exceeding 15 feet, Fastrack provided no guardrails, safety nets, or personal fall arrest systems. Roach lost his balance and plunged to the concrete below, dying the next day at a local hospital.

Court documents reveal Fastrack was contractually obligated by general contractor ARCO National Construction-KC, Inc. to provide fall protection for any worker at heights over six feet. That clause was ignored. Both on-site foremen were present during the operation, observed the lack of safety gear, and failed to enforce compliance. One foreman was even working on the decking without fall protection himself.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri, led by Tammy Dickinson, emphasized the company’s awareness of the hazards. “The court found that Fastrack was aware of safety violations but willfully ignored them, with tragic results,” Dickinson stated. “Employers will be held accountable when they fail in that responsibility.”

Federal law mandates fall protection for all employees engaged in steel erection activities above 15 feet. Fastrack, an American Institute of Steel Construction-certified company, failed to meet its legal and ethical duty. The company specialized in structural and pre-engineered steel work and routinely hired union ironworkers from the Kansas City local while maintaining supervisors from the St. Louis area.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker and Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Evert Van Wijk and Rachel Parsons of the Department of Labor – Office of Solicitor. The investigation was conducted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Judge Kays issued his final order detailing the findings on Jan. 20, 2017, marking a rare federal criminal enforcement of OSHA violations resulting in a worker’s death.