Syracuse Company Faces Steep Fines for Fall Hazards
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is levying fines against a Syracuse construction company for exposing its employees to a serious risk of falls. According to a press release on the official OSHA website, the company could be fined more than $61,000 for their violations, which is still far less than what they could face if someone was hurt or even killed from their lack of safety oversight.
Of the violations, OSHA says:
Inspectors found employees at the Oswego Road site exposed to falls while staging roofing materials and stripping shingles without guardrails, safety nets or personal fall protection equipment. These conditions resulted in citations carrying $24,200 in fines for two willful violations. A willful violation is one committed with intentional knowing or voluntary disregard for the law’s requirements or with plain indifference to worker safety and health.
Citations carrying $33,000 in fines are for two repeat violations that involve failing to train workers on fall hazards and allowing workers to access a roof using a ladder that did not extend at least 3 feet above the landing surface for the required stability. A repeat violation exists when an employer previously has been cited for the same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, rule or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years. Similar violations were cited at work sites in North Syracuse in 2011 and 2012 as well as a site in Liverpool in 2008.
Citations carrying $4,400 in fines are for two serious violations that involve operating a circular saw and various other power tools that were connected to an ungrounded extension cord and receptacle, as well as using a ladder that was not equally supported by two ladder rails, which exposed employees to falls. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.
Falls are the No. 1 cause of death on construction sites, and a frequent cause of injury. Companies must provide a safe environment for their workers, and this certainly includes proper fall prevention.
Hurt in a Construction Fall?
The construction accident attorneys of Ginarte represent people hurt in construction accidents of all types in both New York and New Jersey. We know you work in a dangerous field, but that doesn’t mean you can’t expect justice when hurt on the job.
