Category: Fall Safety|OSHA Citations

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) conducted an investigation of two companies related to a fatal construction accident on July 14, 2015, in Conroe, Texas. The OSHA investigation has resulted in proposed penalties of $69,300 for Ramco Erectors Inc. and $7,000 for Isabel Facundo Garcia. OSHA’s area director in the Houston North office, Joann Figueroa, said that negligence resulting in a preventable fall will not be tolerated.

OSHA alleges that I F Garcia committed a serious safety violation. Employees on a working or walking surface with an unprotected side or an edge that was 6 feet or more above a lower level were not protected from falling by the use of safety net systems, personal fall arrest systems, or guardrail systems.

Specifically, on July 14, 2015, at a construction site where workers were exposed to fall hazards while installing composite floor decking on the second level of a building being constructed, fall protection was not provided. Workers were at risk of falling at heights 6 feet high or greater. The proposed penalty is: $7,000.

A serious violation exists when a workplace hazard could cause an illness or accident that would most likely result in serious physical harm or death, unless the employer could not have known or did not know about the safety violation.

Learn more about the OSHA citations linked to the fatal construction fall that occurred in July in Part 1 of this continuing series, including the alleged serious violation that Ramco Erectors has been cited for. Learn more about fall hazards in the next segment.

–Guest Contributor

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently cited alleged safety violations against Cotton Commercial USA Inc. of Katy, Texas, and Gardia Construction, located in Gretna, Louisiana. The following are details about the citations against Cotton Commercial resulting from Inspection Number 1022192, inspection date January 29, 2015:

OSHA alleges that the employer failed to ensure that each worker exposed to fall hazards was properly trained by a competent and qualified person, according to OSHA specifications. The most recent violation, according to the report, occurred on January 24, 2015, and in times prior in which workers that had not been trained worked at heights of approximately 12 feet. The proposed penalty for this alleged serious violation is: $7,000.

According to OSHA, Cotton Commercial allegedly does not provide a training program for each worker using stairways and ladders, as necessary, which would enable each worker to recognize dangers related to stairways and ladders and train each worker in the procedures which can be followed in order to minimize those hazards. The most recent alleged violation, again, was on January 24. Proposed penalty for this alleged serious violation is: $5,500.

The employer allegedly failed to notify OSHA of the accident which resulted in the hospitalization of an employee within the required 24-hour time period. Instead, the report was made three days after the incident. The specific OSHA rule is that the employer is required to report in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye as a result of a work-related accident to OSHA within a 24-hour period. Proposed penalty for this alleged willful violation is: $70,000.

Read Part 1 and this continuing series for more details about the citations made against Cotton Commercial and Gardia Construction.

–Guest Contributor

company were serious, which means there is a significant probability hazards about which the employer knew or should have known could cause serious physical harm or death.  Serious citations issued included failure to:

• Provide protection from falls for employers who were working at an elevation of 16 feet
• Provide an appropriate number of locks and enforcement of lockout procedures during machine servicing in order to prevent injuries from unexpected restart of equipment and machinery
• Ensure that a fiberglass ladder was set up correctly and used correctly

There are also a number of repeat citations issued by OSAH, including failure to:

• Cover floor holes
• Provide machine guards for sprockets, chains, rotating parts, and points of operation
• Properly identify locks for machine servicing
• Make portable fire extinguishers easily accessible

In 2008, the same company was fined in excess of $150,000 for more than 40 health and safety violations, including failing to provide Hepatitis B vaccinations to employees within ten days of being assigned to handle soiled health care linens.

–Guest Contributor

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced proposed penalties totaling $58,520 against Southern Grouts and Mortars Inc. in Waxahachie, Texas. The Florida-based company is cited for repeat violations and four serious violations. The Fort Worth area OSHA Director, Jack Rector, said that the company has continued to unnecessarily expose workers to hazards which could lead to death or illness. Rector said that employers have a responsibility to workers, to ensure their health and safety, and that such disregard for workers’ safety will not be tolerated.

Among the serious violations the Waxahachie facility has OSHA citations for are failure to provide:

• Hazardous communication information to workers who are potentially exposed to dust particles.
• A respiratory program that is complete with respirator fit testing and medical evaluations.
• Fall protection near floors with open sides.
• A hearing conservation program.
• Regulation of compressed air used for cleaning purposes.

Among the repeat violations were:

• Allowing employees to work under a load elevated by a forklift.
• Failure to implement engineering controls for employees with prolonged exposure to dust particles.

Serious violations are those in which there is a substantial probability that serious physical harm or death could result from a hazard which the employer knew about or should have been aware of.

Spradling LP, a drilling company near Amarillo, Texas, has been cited by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for 13 serious health and safety violations. According to OSHA, workers have been exposed to struck-by hazards, falls, unguarded rotating machine parts, and electric shock hazards. The proposed OSHA penalties amount to $46,200.

The Lubbock Area Office conducted an inspection on August 13, and the following serious health and safety hazards were discovered:

• Effective measurements of stairwells were not taken and, as a result, there are inadequate metal stair treads and missing handrails, which are fall hazards.
• Rotating parts of machinery are not guarded.
• Employees are exposed to electrical hazards because of electrical wiring that is improperly repaired and because outlet covers are missing.
• Employees who work with soda ash and other corrosive materials were not provided with first-aid supplies or emergency showers.
• Workers were not trained on how to stay safe when working with hydrogen sulfide.

The health and safety hazards at the drilling rig site endanger employees. The OSHA director in Lubbock, Elizabeth Routh, said oil and gas operators are provided with all of the resources and tools they need to protect workers from hazardous conditions by staying in compliance with OSHA guidelines.

–Guest Contributor