Eric Strauss//October 4, 2016//
Eric Strauss//October 4, 2016//
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited a pair of New Jersey contractors, alleging they failed to provide workers with adequate fall protection at job sites in the region.In the first case, OSHA has accused Cinnaminson-based construction contractor Station Builders Inc. of three willful, four repeat and six serious safety problems at four job sites in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley.
Station Builders could face nearly $292,000 in penalties as a result of the citations, which stemmed from inspections conducted earlier this year.
OSHA says the company failed to provide workers with fall protection and personal protective equipment, as well as improperly using portable ladders and failing to conduct frequent and regular worksite inspections.
“Since November 2015, OSHA offices in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania have inspected Station Builders’ worksites and issued citations 16 times,” Jean Kulp, director of OSHA’s Allentown, Pennsylvania, area office, said in a prepared statement. “In each case, the violations included preventable hazards related to lack of fall protection. The company can easily eliminate the hazards by using readily available and reusable personal protective equipment, or by making simple modifications to its work practices, yet it continues to expose workers to dangerous conditions. This will not be tolerated by OSHA.”
In the second case, OSHA said Frame Q LLC of Fairview was cited for two repeat violations at a job site in Palisades Park.
The framing contractor faces more than $222,000 in penalties, based on an inspection conducted in April.
According to OSHA, workers from the company were observed performing residential construction framing activities without proper fall protection. The company had been cited in March 2014 for similar issues at an Englewood Cliffs worksite, OSHA added.
“Frame Q continues to jeopardize the safety of its employees by not providing basic safety equipment that saves lives,” Lisa Levy, director of the agency’s Hasbrouck Heights Area Office, said in a statement. “Falls are the No. 1 killer of workers in the construction industry. By not complying with OSHA safety standards, this company is not upholding its legal responsibility to provide employees with a safe workplace, which is unacceptable.”
The companies had 15 days from receipt of the citations to accept the penalties, contest them or request a meeting with OSHA officials.