Balfour Beatty Construction LLC, United Kingdom, and C.F. Jordan LP, El Paso, Texas

Proposed penalties: $324,000 (issued 12/31/07)
Two construction contractors were charged with 12 safety violations for asbestos exposure at a military housing construction site at the federal White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. A referral from the New Mexico Environment Department alleging that employees were removing underground asbestos-containing concrete pipe without appropriate protective clothing or a protective enclosure sparked an OSHA investigation.

Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel Corp., Steubenville, Ohio

Proposed penalties: $210,000 (issued 12/13/07)
A follow-up to a February 2006 OSHA inspection led to citations for 12 repeat and seven serious violations. Repeat citations included allegations that the company failed to: provide adequate electrical safety training and work-related safety practices to employees; de-energize electrical equipment for servicing; provide flashback protection of cutting torch equipment and provide proper eyewash facilities.

Midlands Contracting Inc., Kearney, Neb.

Proposed penalties: $140,000 (issued 12/17/07)
OSHA initiated an inspection after a collapsed excavation wall buried and killed an employee at a sewage lift station installation site. OSHA cited the contractor for two alleged willful violations for hazards associated with undermined and unsupported adjacent structures, inadequate cave-in protection, use of an incomplete engineered design for sloping and shielding, and not maintaining a copy of the engineered design at the work locations while the sloping and shielding systems were being constructed.

Miranda Construction Co. Inc., Fall River, Mass.

Proposed penalties: $109,000 (issued 12/19/07)
Contractor with a history of fall protection violations was cited for seven alleged willful, repeat and serious violations of fall hazards at a Newport, R.I., residential construction site. An OSHA inspection found employees exposed to falls of up to 12 feet from an unguarded roof and up to 27 feet from an unguarded and unsecured pump jack scaffold and an unsecured ladder.

Granite Archer Western, HNTB Corp., URS Corp. and D.T. Reed Steel Co.

Proposed penalties: $95,725 (issued 12/12/07)
OSHA has fined four contractors working on the construction of the St. Louis Bridge. An investigation was launched after two employees from two different companies died and another seven were injured when a concrete column collapsed into St. Louis Bay. Lead contractor Granite Archer Western, a joint venture, was cited for one willful violation for failing to correctly design, fabricate, erect, brace and maintain the formwork, as well as four serious and two other-than-serious violations.

Modern Dispersions South Inc., Fitzgerald, Ga.

Proposed penalties: $71,750 (issued 1/2/08)
A fire that broke out while employees attempted to unclog a machine of carbon black powder and polyethylene pellets left four employees hospitalized. Manufacturer was issued one willful safety violation for failing to use lockout/tagout control procedures when employees tried to clear jammed machines. The company was also cited for 10 serious violations. One other-than-serious citation was issued, because OSHA was not notified within eight hours of the employees’ hospitalization.

Henry’s Hickory House, Jacksonville, Fla.

Proposed penalties: $59,950 (issued 12/19/07)
Meat processor received four repeat citations for failing to conduct proper lockout/tagout procedures on production equipment and for failing to maintain OSHA records as required by law. Four serious violations included lack of lockout/tagout procedures specific to each piece of machinery, lack of machine guards, failure to correct electrical hazards and failure to repair a broken eyewash.