Construction Companies and Their Duty to Protect Against Falls
Another week has passed and another company has been cited by OSHA for failing to protect workers from fall hazards. Though the company is out of Lawrenceville, Georgia, it could just as well have been a local New Jersey or New York company. The citations from OSHA are not meant to simply “out” the company as being unsafe, but to hopefully reduce the risk of accidents for workers of that company and others nationwide.
According to the OSHA press release, Peach State Roofing faces a proposed $70,000 fine for “exposing roofing workers to fall hazards” on one particular site. The company is alleged to have failed to provide personal protective equipment, including harnesses.
“Employers have a responsibility to ensure that workers exposed to fall hazards are provided with fall protection equipment appropriate for the job at all times when a fall hazard is present,” remarked OSHA’s area director David Doucet. “Falls are the leading cause of death in construction and can easily be prevented by planning ahead to do the job safely, providing workers with proper equipment and training them to recognize and address fall hazards.”
Preventing fall accidents is not only a matter of you, as the worker, being careful; it’s a matter of having the right equipment and the right safety practices in place. This isn’t solely your responsibility, but also that of your employer.
Construction companies must do their part in preventing such accidents. Failure to do so could result in serious fines from OSHA, or worse. As stated, too often these problems aren’t recognized until after a serious and sometimes fatal accident.
Your employer must provide equipment like harnesses and proper training in order to reduce the risk of a fall accident. These preventative measures could wind up saving your life. When they are not provided and an accident happens, your employer can be held liable, both by OSHA for violations and by you in a personal injury claim.
If you’ve been hurt on a construction site and you believe your employer didn’t do everything they could to keep you safe, you could be entitled to compensation.
The New York and New Jersey construction accident lawyers of Ginarte are here to represent construction workers who have been injured on the job. If that’s you, call us at 888-GINARTE today for a free consultation.
