Dive Brief:
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited a New Jersey contractor, Berlin Builders, for 19 repeat and eight serious violations, and fined the company $198,550, for consistently exposing workers to unsafe conditions, including falls.
- OSHA inspected four of Berlin's worksites and found the contractor did not provide fall protection for workers exposed to fall hazards as high as 29 feet; train employees on fall protection; inspect job sites for hazards nor train employees on how to use ladders properly.
- In addition to the concern over falls, OSHA also gave the company serious citations for not providing adequate personal protection equipment; having damaged electrical cords and no fall protection plan in place for an aerial lift.
Dive Insight:
"By refusing to provide the proper fall protection, Berlin Builders is jeopardizing the lives and well-being of its employees and their families," Paula Dixon-Roderick, director of OSHA's Marlton Area Office, said. "Four in 10 construction workers who die as a result of workplace injury suffer a fall, so it's vital that construction companies take responsibility to ensure worker safety. No one should have to compromise their safety in order to earn a paycheck."
OSHA has reported that falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry, responsible for 40% of the industry's workplace fatalities in 2014.
Last month, OSHA fined KB Home Florida and associated companies $145,000, for fall protection and other violations at a residential subdivision project in Jacksonville, FL.
The agency also just cited and fined Illinois contractor Ziggy's Roofing $115,000 for exposing workers to dangerous fall hazards at two different work sites within a month. OSHA also cited a Massachusetts roofing contractor for 16 safety violations and fined the company $188,000 for not providing adequate fall protection.
