US Department of Labor investigation finds Chicago construction employer exposed workers to continued safety hazards, proposes $265K in penalties

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US Department of Labor investigation finds Chicago construction employer exposed workers to continued safety hazards, proposes $265K in penalties CHICAGO – The U.S. Department of Labor has cited a Calumet City-based residential construction and carpentry employer after two separate investigations into its continued failure to provide fall protection for workers. The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated two worksites operated by Martin Araujo – doing business as Araujo Construction Corp. – and found that carpenters and general construction laborers were installing roof rafters and roof sheeting without fall protection, exposing them to falls of up to 25 feet. OSHA cited Araujo Construction with two willful violations for not providing fall protection, while working from heights during residential construction at the two worksites. OSHA also cited the employer with nine repeat safety violations for failing to provide head and eye protection, l...
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Department of Labor cites North Florida contractors for willfully endangering employees in excavations without required safety protections

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Department of Labor cites North Florida contractors for willfully endangering employees in excavations without required safety protections
JACKSONVILLE, FL – In one week, U.S. Department of Labor safety inspectors found two contractors working in Jacksonville and Daytona Beach willfully exposing employees to one of the construction industry’s deadliest hazards: trench and excavation collapses and cave-ins. On May 28, 2024, inspectors with the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration witnessed workers employed by Masci General Contractor Inc. installing a sewer line in a trench 6-feet-deep and 40-feet-long near International Speedway and Atlantic Avenue in Daytona Beach. OSHA inspectors initiated the removal of the employees from the trench and subsequently, the agency issued a citation to the employer for willfully endangering workers by failing to provide essential cave-in protection, such as shoring or trench boxes, while they worked in the excavation. A few days later, OSHA inspectors encountered workers from K T Carter Contracting Inc. in a 12-foot-deep trench without cave-in protection on Imeson Park Boulevard in Jacksonville. Once again, OSHA inspectors initiated removal of the employees from the trench. As a result of their inspection, OSHA issued a willful violation to the company. “Exposing workers to unprotected trenches puts their lives at serious risk,” said OSHA Area Director Scott Tisdale in Jacksonville, Florida. “In a matter of seconds, a trench wall can collapse, burying workers under tons of soil, leading to life-altering injuries – incidents that are completely preventable with the right safety measures in place. In these cases, we are fortunate that our inspectors were able to intervene before a tragedy occurred, rather than responding to one afterward.” OSHA also cited both Jacksonville contractors for serious violations for exposing workers to cave-in and struck-by hazards by not providing a stairway, ramp, ladder or other safe means to enter or exit the trench, as well as for placing spoil piles along the edge of the excavations. Masci General Contractor faces $216,633 in proposed penalties while K T Carter faces $146,803 in proposed penalties for their violations.OSHA issued the citations, Nov. 13, 2024 to the employers, and they have 15 business days from receipt of the 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 and trench safety, including additional information on trenching hazards and solutions and a safety video.       

Published at December 05, 2024 at 04:00AM
Read more at https://dol.gov

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