August 2020 Enforcement
U.S. Department of Labor Cites Missouri Contractor After Employee Suffers Severe Injuries in Trench Collapse
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Unnerstall Contracting Company LLC for violations of OSHA’s trenching and excavation standards after an employee suffered severe injuries when a 20-foot trench collapsed during excavation of Creve Coeur Sanitary Sewer Trunk in Creve Coeur, Missouri. OSHA cited the Pacific, Missouri-based company for three willful and four serious violations, and faces penalties of $224,459. The agency has placed the company in the agency’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program.
U.S. Department of Labor Fines New Jersey Manufacturer For Failing to Correct Machine Hazards
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Bravo Pak Inc. for failing to abate hazards at its Pennsauken, New Jersey, facility. The company owes $259,760 in penalties.
In June 2019, OSHA cited the shipping supplies manufacturer after an attempt to clear a jammed machine resulted in an amputation of a worker’s fingers. Investigators found Bravo Pak Inc. failed to develop and implement a lockout/tagout program to address the unexpected start-up of a machine during servicing and failed to ensure proper machine guarding. The company agreed to correct the hazards. When Bravo Pak Inc. failed to provide OSHA with verification of the hazards’ corrections, the agency initiated a follow-up inspection on Sept. 30, 2019.
U.S. Department of Labor Cites South Carolina Shipyard After Employee Suffers Fatal Injuries at Worksite
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Detyens Shipyards Inc. for failing to protect employees from struck-by and fall hazards. The company faces $37,591 in penalties.
A shackle fatally struck an employee during a lifting operation. OSHA cited the shipyard for failing to ensure employees used a fall protection system when working at heights, and retrain employees exposed to fall hazards. OSHA also cited the shipyard for exposing employees to caught-between hazards by allowing them to enter between a guardrail and a rudder shaft while it was being lifted.
U.S. Department of Labor Cites Florida Roofing Contractor For Exposing Employees to Falls
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Camaney Services of Central Florida Inc. – based in Lake Worth, Florida – for exposing employees to fall hazards at two worksites in Boynton Beach, Florida. The contractor faces $49,930 in penalties.
OSHA initiated inspections as part of the Regional Emphasis Program for Falls in Construction. The agency cited the company for failing to develop and implement an accident prevention program, train employees on how to recognize and control fall hazards, and conduct regular inspections of worksites to ensure a conventional fall protection system was available to employees. In addition, OSHA cited the company for failing to ensure that portable ladders extended at least 3 feet above the upper landing and allowing employees to use an A-frame ladder improperly.
“Falls are the leading cause of work-related injuries and fatalities among roofers,” said OSHA Fort Lauderdale Area Director Condell Eastmond. “Employers must provide the right fall protection equipment, and train workers on how to use the equipment safely.”
U.S. Department of Labor Cites Alabama Lumber and Flooring Manufacturer After Employee Fatality at Selma Facility
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Miller & Co. Inc. for failing to protect employees from struck-by hazards after a worker was fatally injured at the company’s Selma, Alabama, facility. The lumber and flooring manufacturer faces $218,192 in penalties.
The employee was fatally struck by a piece of wood while attempting to clear a jammed machine. OSHA cited the company for failing to lockout equipment prior to beginning maintenance, ensure machines were properly guarded and train employees on lockout/tagout procedures. Miller & Co. had developed an alternative energy control procedure for clearing equipment jams after an employee suffered an amputation in 2018, but the company failed to implement the procedure.
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