|
U.S. Department of Labor | |
||||
| Occupational Safety & Health Administration | ||||||
 |
|
OSHA News Release
2008 - 07/15/2008 - New Britain, Conn., contractor faces $140,000 in U.S. Labor Department OSHA fines for fall hazards at two Connecticut worksites |
OSHA News Release - Table of Contents |
|
Region 1 News Release: 08-875-BOS/BOS 2008-200 Tues., July 15, 2008 Contact: Ted Fitzgerald Phone: 617-565-2074 New Britain, Conn., contractor faces $140,000 in U.S. Labor Department OSHA fines for fall hazards at two Connecticut worksites
BMA General Contractors LLC cited for similar hazards in 2006 and 2007 HARTFORD, Conn. - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited a New Britain, Conn., contractor for 15 alleged repeat and serious violations of safety standards following OSHA inspections at worksites in Danielson and Newington, Conn. BMA General Contractors LLC faces a total of $140,000 in fines for failing to protect employees against potentially fatal falls and electrocution hazards. OSHA found employees at both locations exposed to falls of 19 to 29 feet while working on scaffolds and atop roofs without fall protection equipment or training. At the Danielson location, employees faced additional fall hazards from using ladders that did not extend at least three feet above the scaffold platform. OSHA had cited BMA in 2006 and 2007 for similar hazards at worksites in Glastonbury and Norwich, Conn. As a result, OSHA issued BMA seven repeat citations, carrying $100,000 in proposed penalties, for the conditions found at the Danielson and Newington worksites. "Falls are the most frequent cause of death in construction, and there is no justification for an employer's repeated failure to ensure that employees have the knowledge, training and equipment to identify and protect themselves against this most dangerous of hazards," said C. William Freeman III, OSHA's area director in Hartford. Employees at both sites also had not been adequately trained in recognizing fall hazards and in the erection and dismantling of scaffolds, while employees at the Danielson site were exposed to electrocution hazards due to the draping of an energized 240-volt power line atop and along the conductive aluminum frame scaffold on which they were working. These conditions resulted in the issuance of eight serious citations with $40,000 in proposed fines. A serious citation is issued when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known. The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations to contest them before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The inspection was conducted by OSHA's Hartford Area Office; telephone 860-240-3152. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthy workplace for their employees. OSHA's role is to promote the safety and health of America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual process improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit www.osha.gov. ### U.S. Department of Labor releases are accessible on the Internet at www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format (large print, Braille, audiotape or disc) from the COAST office upon request. Please specify which news release when placing your request at 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755. The Labor Department is committed to providing America's employers and employees with easy access to understandable information on how to comply with its laws and regulations. For more information, please visit www.dol.gov/compliance. |
|
OSHA News Release - Table of Contents |
 Back to Top |
www.osha.gov | www.dol.gov |
Contact Us | Freedom of Information Act | Customer Survey Privacy and Security Statement | Disclaimers |
||
| Occupational Safety & Health Administration 200 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20210 |
||
