Federal investigation finds framing contractor willfully exposed workers to fall hazards at Luzerne, Pennsylvania, state salt storage stockpile

Federal investigation finds framing contractor willfully exposed workers to fall hazards at Luzerne, Pennsylvania, state salt storage stockpile
LUZERNE, PA – Despite the dangers of falls – a leading cause of construction industry deaths – a Strasburg framing contractor ignored federal workplace standards and exposed workers to falls as high as 14 feet while working at a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation facility. An inspection by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration began on Dec. 19, 2021, in response to a complaint alleging Level Edge Construction LLC exposed employees to fall hazards at the PennDOT salt storage stockpile. OSHA cited the company for two willful and five serious violations. The citations relate to the company’s failures to protect workers from falls as they performed carpentry work from elevated surfaces, to expose workers to falling or flying objects by not providing required eye, face and head protection, and for not training workers on scaffold-related hazards. OSHA has proposed penalties of $247,269. “Level Edge Construction’s disregard for required and well-known fall protection measures places its workers at risk for serious and fatal injuries,” said OSHA Area Director Mary Reynolds in Wilkes-Barre. “Falls are the leading cause of fatality in construction, and employers must take these hazards seriously.” The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports falls accounted for 351 of the 1,008 construction fatalities recorded in 2020. Learn more about OSHA’s efforts to provide workers and employers information on fall protection.  The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission Level Edge Construction LLC provides timber framing, commercial and municipal construction, and general contractor services.

Published at June 20, 2022 at 05:00PM
Read more at https://dol.gov