NJ Stucco Company Cited By OSHA for Fall Hazards
A Rochelle Park, NJ, company has been cited with several safety violations, according to a press release from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The violations included six safety violations and five repeat violations (meaning the company has been cited before). In all, they face more than $61,000 in penalties.
Beno Stucco Systems is accused of exposing workers to fall and scaffolding hazards while applying stucco to a building in Westwood. The violations were found when an investigation was opened regarding an imminent danger fall hazard.
The repeat violations, including failure to provide workers with helmets to protect against falling objects, had initially been levied against the company in 2007, 2009, and 2011. The company is also accused of not having someone inspect scaffolds for defects and safety issues before each shift. They are also said to have neglected to do full job-site safety inspections.
“Serious” violations like this, OSHA says, are those where there is “substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.”
“This company repeatedly neglected to implement basic, common-sense and legally-required safeguards to ensure that scaffolds were erected properly and fall protection was provided for employees working at heights of 10 feet or more,” said the regional director of OSHA’s area office Lisa Levy. “OSHA will not tolerate employers jeopardizing the safety and health of workers.”
OSHA takes fall prevention very seriously, and when there are scaffold risks or workers engaged in work above ground, extra care must be taken to prevent these most-dangerous types of accidents. According to OSHA’s website, falls are the most common cause of construction fatalities. In 2010, the last year for which there is available data, there were 264 fall fatalities on construction sites.
Numerous regulations exist to prevent falls from happening. But contractors, job site managers, foremen, and workers all have a role to play in ensuring those regulations are implemented and followed to help guarantee safety.
When a fall or a tragic accident happens, failure to adhere to these regulations can mean significant penalties for the company and even a lawsuit.
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