The employer of two workers who died while working on a freeway overpass has been cited by OSHA for four safety violations.

R.R. Dawson Bridge Co. LLC exposed workers to fall hazards, failed to provide employees working near the bridge's edge with required fall protection and failed to inspect employee fall arrest systems before use, according to OSHA investigators.

A 90' fall

The workers were killed in a January, 2014 accident, falling approximately 90 feet while working on the construction of the I-85 interchange Outer Loop overpass.

Leading cause of fatalities in construction

"Falls continue to be the leading cause of fatalities in the construction industry, but these hazards can be easily identified and eliminated to save lives," said Joseph Roesler, OSHA's area director in Mobile.

Proposed penalties total $54,500.

Resources

OSHA has created a fall prevention Web page at http://www.osha.gov/stopfalls with detailed information in English and Spanish on fall protection standards. The page offers fact sheets, posters and videos that vividly illustrate various fall hazards and appropriate preventive measures.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, preliminary data from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries shows that, in Alabama, there were 84 fatalities in 2012 and 4,628 in the United States. Additional details are available at http://bls.gov/iif/home.htm.