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OSHA News Release
2006 - 05/31/2006 - Three Massachusetts Contractors Fined $154,200 for Hazards at Haverhill Bridge Project |
OSHA News Release - Table of Contents |
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Region 1 News Release: 06-950-BOS/BOS 2006-147 Wednesday, May 31, 2006 Contact: Ted Fitzgerald Phone: (617) 565-2074 Three Massachusetts Contractors Fined $154,200 for Hazards at Haverhill Bridge Project
METHUEN, Mass. -- Three Massachusetts contractors face a total of $154,200 in penalties from the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for fall, drowning, crushing and other hazards at a Haverhill, Mass., bridge construction site. Cited were J.F. White Contracting Inc., of Framingham, Mass.; Aztec Steel Inc., of Carver, Mass.; and Trevi Icos Corp., of Boston. All three are working on the construction of a new Upper County Bridge over the Merrimack River. The citations resulted from an OSHA inspection begun last November in response to a complaint. "Among other hazards, employees were exposed to falls of up to 30 feet from an unguarded walkway. Those working on barges, the bridge and near the river faced drowning hazards from the absence of life vests and an available lifesaving skiff, while workers risked being struck by a rotating crane whose swing radius had not been blocked," said Francis Pagliuca, OSHA's area director for Middlesex and Essex Counties, Mass. J.F. White Contracting Inc. faces a total of $114,500 in penalties. The company was issued four repeat citations for the fall, drowning and crane hazards, and 10 serious citations for obstructed cofferdam egress; no warning signals, evacuation plan or second means of exit for employees working in the cofferdam; defects in lifting slings and hooks; guardrail deficiencies; oxygen and acetylene gas cylinders stored together; unguarded deck holes; and an unlabeled electrical panel. Aztec Steel Inc. was issued one repeat citation for unguarded floor holes and seven serious citations for fall, drowning, guardrail, cofferdam and debris hazards. It faces $22,200 in penalties. Trevi Icos Corp. faces $17,500 in penalties and was issued four serious citations for an unavailable lifesaving skiff, unguarded floor holes, unguarded crane swing radius and no warning signal or evacuation plans for employees working in the cofferdam. A serious citation is issued when death or serious physical harm are likely to result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known. OSHA issues a repeat citation when an employer has previously been cited for substantially similar hazards and those citations have become final. OSHA cited J.F. White Contracting Inc. in April 2005 for similar hazards at this job site while Aztec Steel Inc. was cited in April 2005 for a similar hazard at a Boston work site. Each company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to request and participate in an informal conference with the OSHA area director or to contest them before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The investigation was conducted by OSHA's Methuen, Mass., area office, telephone (617) 565-8110. Employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace for their employees. OSHA's role is to assure the safety and health of America's workers by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit www.osha.gov. ###
U.S. Labor Department releases are accessible on the Internet at www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format upon request (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST office. Please specify which news release when placing your request. Call (202) 693-7765 or TTY (202) 693-7755. The U.S. Department of Labor 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. |
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