Repeat violations add up: $121K for fall protection violations

March 27, 2012 by Fred Hosier

Posted in: Compliance, construction safety, Falls, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, OSHA news, Who Got Fined and Why?

OSHA started this investigation after inspectors witnessed workers exposed to fall hazards at two commercial work sites in Wisconsin. The agency said a contracting company failed to train its workers.

As a result, GTO Contractors LLC, based in Neenah, WI, faces $121,660 in OSHA fines. All of the violations relate to failing to protect workers from falls.

OSHA issued the following citations:

two willful violations for failing to provide fall protection on a steep-pitch roof at two construction locations
two repeat violations for not providing workers with fall protection training at two construction sites. Similar violations were cited in 2007, and
two serious violations for not implementing a safety and health program for workers.

GTO had been inspected by OSHA five times since 2007, resulting in citations for five violations related to fall protection standards.

Falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry.

OSHA assistance with fall protection regulations can be found here.

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Tags: fall hazards, fall protection, repeat violations

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003406483780 Estefani

No, not all violations are eqaluly likely to be cited. Inspections can be focused on a specific topic, limiting the likelihood of some errors being noticed. You might be inspected by construction, safety OR health branches. Any one of these inspectors can cite you for anything, but they aren’t all eqaluly likely to notice the same details outside of their personal expertise. BUT since this data is all for the same severity-type of citations, I think this is a normalizing factor of sorts. These are the sort of things that should leap out and scream cite me! cite me! .And, Citation severity isn’t related to any internal corporate factor. It is based upon whether the company meets the standard, whether it is a repeat failure, and how grave the immediate danger to the employee is.The fact the data are from refinery, rather than drilling, operations will effect which standards are applicable. If I continue to procrastinate about my thesis today, I’ll check the OSHA website. I’m really curious as to which standards were cited. I can persuade myself it’s related to my research, maybe?