A recent study found that falls are among the costliest workplace injuries. In fact, they’re in the top three workplace injuries with the highest compensation payouts.
So when it comes to protecting workers from deadly fall hazards, most employers stand firm on safety training requirements and the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
When workers aren’t protected from fall hazards, employers may face expensive fines, as this recent case shows.
Inspectors spot deadly fall hazards
In Illinois, OSHA inspectors observed Maestro Construction Inc. employees doing framing work at two homes under construction. The employees were working at heights up to 20 feet without adequate fall protection. Inspectors noted that some workers put on fall protection PPE but wore it incorrectly, making it useless.
OSHA inspectors also learned the company failed to certify the employees had been trained in fall hazards or the required use of PPE. In addition, they found damaged electrical cords in use.
The incidents occurred on two separate occasions, in December 2023 and February 2024.
Contractor is a repeat offender
What’s more, this wasn’t the first time Maestro Construction Inc. caught the feds’ attention. The agency cited Maestro Construction four times in 2023 for fall-related violations.
And the contractor has been cited seven times since 2020, according to a DOL press release.
OSHA proposes $264K fine
OSHA proposed $264,407 in penalties for:
- Two willful violations
- Two repeat violations
- Two serious violations, and
- One other-than-serious violation.
“Contractors like Maestro Construction that willfully ignore federal safety standards for fall protection are endangering the lives and well-being of their employees,” said OSHA Area Director Jacob Scott in Naperville, Illinois. “Despite being cited seven times since 2020, this company continues to show a callous disregard for their employees’ safety, and we will continue to hold them accountable for their defiance of regulations.”
Fall prevention requirements
Employers must set up workspaces to prevent employees from falling from overhead platforms, elevated workstations or into holes in the floor and walls.
OSHA requires fall protection be provided beginning at elevations of:
- 4 feet in general industry workplaces
- 5 feet in shipyards
- 6 feet in the construction industry, and
- 8 feet in longshoring operations.
Moreover, OSHA requires fall protection to be provided when employees are working above dangerous equipment and machinery, regardless of the fall distance.
Info: Contractor exposes employees to deadly fall hazards twice in 2 months, 6/12/24.
