An incident in which a worker suffered carbon monoxide exposure has led to OSHA citations and penaltiies for a Miami, Fl general contractor.

Trans Florida Development Corp. was issued citations for one willful health and one serious safety violation, with total proposed penalties of $66,990. The citations follow an incident that occurred in June at a work site where workers were installing a new drain system. A worker using a powered saw to cut a hole in a storm drain box was overexposed to carbon monoxide from the saw and had to be taken to a hospital for treatment.

The willful health violation, with a $61,600 penalty, was cited for failing to evaluate the job site and implement procedures to ensure workers were not exposed to toxic substances while working in a confined space.

The serious safety violation, with a $5,390 penalty, was cited for failing to provide training on confined space hazards.

"This employer knew the proper safety precautions and procedures associated with working in confined spaces, yet chose to ignore those requirements and ultimately failed to protect the workers," said Darlene Fossum, OSHA's area director in Fort Lauderdale.