OSHA says it’s not enough for companies to develop fall protection plans — they have to enforce them, too.

American Bridge, based in Pennsylvania, faces $90,000 in fines after an employee fell 70 feet to his death from a girder at a construction site.

The victim fell at the site of the Highway 62/641 bridge being built over the Tennessee River below Grand Rivers, KY. He was wearing a harness and lanyard but wasn’t anchored.

OSHA is citing the company with one willful violation for failing to eliminate employee exposure to fall hazards and failing to ensure that employees properly used personal protective equipment while working above heights of 6 feet. That carries a $70,000 penalty.

The agency is also issuing four serious citations to the company for:

• using pulleys that weren’t guarded on the winch gear
• failing to barricade the swing radius on the cranes
• not securing material against accidental displacement, and
• failing to use conforming fall protection systems.

Each of those citations carries a $5,000 penalty.

OSHA said American had a fall protection plan, but management failed to enforce its own policy.

Tags: fall, fall protection plan, Fatality, OSHA, personal protection equipment