"Knowingly and repeatedly" ignored fall protection requirements
April 22, 2019
OSHA has cited framing contractor Navy Contractors, Inc. for willfully exposing employees to fall hazards at residential construction sites in Royersford, Collegeville, and Center Valley, Pennsylvania. The company faces $603,850 in penalties.
The agency initiated inspections at the three jobsites after inspectors saw employees performing framing work without fall protection.
Kee Safety, Inc., Buffalo, New York, announces the introduction of Kee Walk® with Guardrail, an OSHA-compliant rooftop walkway system with integrated safety railing. Designed to provide a secure, anti-slip walking surface on all roof types including metal profile and standing seam roofs, Kee Walk with Guardrail accommodates steps, traverses, and sloped roofs with pitches up to 35 degrees, Kee Safety® states.
The death of a worker in a fatal fall at a Dallas apartment complex has resulted in both criminal and civil penalties against his employer.
U.S. District Court Judge Ed Kinkeade has ordered Design Plastering West LLC to pay a $150,000 criminal fine, $100,000 civil penalty, admit to eight willful violations, and to undergo monitoring by OSHA for four years.
Workers in the utilities sector are at a higher risk for serious injuries and fatalities (SIF) than other industries, such as construction, manufacturing and mining, according to a recent study by DEKRA Organizational Safety & Reliability. SIF is defined as life-threatening, life-altering and fatal incidents in the workplace.
OSHA has issued citations to a Wisconsin roofing contractor for exposing its workers to fall and other safety hazards at two different job sites. Proposed penalties are $120,320.
Being cited seven times in the past five years for safety violations apparently has not made an impression on Jose A. Serrato. The independent roofing contractor based in Marietta, Georgia has again been cited by OSHA for exposing his workers to fall hazards – this time at a worksite in Birmingham. Current proposed penalties total $133,604.
Employees at a Pennsylvania carpentry framing company performed their work without fall or head protection, according to OSHA, which has cited Strong Construction, Inc. for two willful and five serious safety and health violations. The Bensalem company, which specializes in commercial and industrial construction, faces $213,318 in fines.
A 67-year-old California man fell off a 500-foot cliff while trying to rescue his dog, authorities said.
The Golden Gate National Park ranger said the man’s dog got away from him, and when he tried to go after it he slipped to his death.
Long after the fatal fall, the man’s dog continued pacing and barking on a perch, as if sensing something was wrong.
A cause of death amongst construction workers is falls from elevation, of which a third are from ladders. Some of these fatalities could be prevented simply with the implementation of the three-point control technique.
In addition to proper use of horizontal grab bars and the existing horizontal rungs, construction workers should be trained to use the three-point control technique.
Falls are one of the most common causes of death for ironworkers. But they also risk injuries from steel beam or reinforced concrete wall collapses, "struck-by" injuries from falling or swinging objects, and contact with live electrical lines.
That’s a good bit of risk for an average $45,000 salary.
