US: Contractor fined $1 million for endangering workers with fall hazards

The following article is an abridgement of article originally published on the OSHA website.

OSHA cites construction company for six willful and four serious violations

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited a New Jersey construction contractor company for exposing workers to fall hazards at a construction site. This is the fifth time since 2016 that OSHA has inspected and the contractor for failing to provide workers with fall protection.

The agency issued six wilful violations for lack of fall protection and failure to ensure the use of eye protection and four serious violations for unsafe scaffolds and failure to provide hard hats for overhead hazards. The company faces a proposed penalty of $1,017,248 for these violations.

Construction added to severe violators list

Due to the egregious nature of the fall violations, OSHA has added the contractor to the Severe Violators Enforcement Program, which targets employers who demonstrate indifference to the health and safety of their workers. The program imposes increased inspections, follow-ups, and monitoring of the company’s compliance. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker said:

“[The company] continues to show a blatant disregard for the safety of their employees.”

“Placing them on the list of severe violators will intensify our scrutiny of their operations.”

Company has 15 days to respond to citations

The company is a residential carpentry and framing contractor with 20 employees. The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Fall hazards are among the deadliest in construction

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1,069 construction workers died on the job in 2022, with 395 of those fatalities related to falls from elevations. Exposure to fall hazards makes residential framing and roofing work among the deadliest jobs in construction.

OSHA’s stop falls website offers safety information and video presentations in English and Spanish to teach workers about fall hazards and proper safety procedures.

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Sources

New Jersey contractor’s ongoing disregard for safety laws leads to $1M penalty after federal inspection finds workers exposed to falls by OSHA, 12th February, 2024.

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