Contractor’s safety failures continue as federal inspectors find employees exposed to deadly fall hazards twice within 2 months

Contractor’s safety failures continue as federal inspectors find employees exposed to deadly fall hazards twice within 2 months
WASHINGTON, MO – Twice within two months in 2023, U.S. Department of Labor inspectors observed Cheltenham Construction Services — a contractor with a history of workplace safety violations dating back to 2015 — once again exposing employees to deadly fall hazards as they performed siding and roofing work in Lake St. Louis and O’Fallon. The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration conducted a February 2023 inspection in Lake St. Louis and April 2023 in O’Fallon finding the contractor allowed employees to work at heights greater than 6 feet without required fall arrest systems, safety nets or guardrails, and allowed ladders to be used improperly. In Lake St. Louis, the company failed to protect employees using pneumatic nail guns against eye and face hazards. OSHA cited the company — which operates as CCS — for two repeat and two serious violations and proposed $334,618 in penalties. Since 2015, OSHA has cited the company seven times for fall protection violations. “Cheltenham Construction Services’ repeated failures to comply with federal safety standards exposes workers to falls from elevations, the construction industry’s most lethal hazard,” explained OSHA Area Director Bill McDonald in St. Louis. “Each year, hundreds of people die needlessly in preventable workplace falls. This company’s disregard of employee safety must end before someone is seriously injured or worse.” In 2021, nearly one in five workplace deaths occurred in the construction industry. Just over one-third of construction deaths were due to falls, slips, and trips. Of these, almost all were from falls to a lower level. The construction industry accounted for 46.2 percent of all fatal falls, slips, and trips in 2021, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. OSHA opened both inspections under its Regional Emphasis Program on Fall Hazards. OSHA’s stop falls website offers safety information and video presentations in English and Spanish to teach workers about fall hazards and proper safety procedures. Founded in 2003, Cheltenham Construction Services Inc. provides residential and commercial carpentry, siding and crane services. 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. Learn more about OSHA.

Published at August 21, 2023 at 05:00PM
Read more at https://dol.gov