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A Philadelphia construction company was recently fined by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration after safety hazards were found at a job site in the city. The Lansdowne-based masonry company, which does business as J.C. Construction, was cited with four repeat safety violations and two serious safety violations after an August 2012 inspection.
The inspection was part of an OSHA program aimed a preventing falls within the construction industry. The inspection found numerous fall hazards at the job site, including lack of fall protection and lack of bracing. The company was cited for similar violations in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Additionally, the company faces serious violations for improper use of planking and lack of fall protection on a walkway section between scaffold units. OSHA defines these violations as carrying a substantial probability of death or serious physical, about which the employer knew or should have known.
The penalties that have been proposed by OSHA amount to $73,150. The company, which does masonry installation and finish coatings on residential and commercial buildings, now has 15 days to respond to the citations. Not resulting to the citations could lead to more serious fines.
The director of OSHA’s Philadelphia office said that the falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry. That’s why “it is imperative for employers to ensure their workers have adequate protection and are safe in the workplace,” the OSHA director said.
When employers fail to follow health and safety precautions, they not only risk receiving hefty OSHA fines, they can also be sued in a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit if a worker is injured or killed on the job. Frankly, this company would be wise to head warnings about the fall hazards before a workplace accident occurs.
Source: OSHA Regional News Release, “US Department of Labor’s OSHA fines Lansdowne, Pa., masonry company more than $73,000 for fall and other safety hazards,” March 11, 2013