A contractor agreed to pay a $144,000 OSHA fine and will use enhanced compliance methods to protect workers as part of a stipulated settlement agreement.
Northridge Construction Corp., a New York construction contractor, will pay $144,000 in penalties for willful and serious violations that were found following an employee’s fatal fall in December 2018.
The company also agreed to:
- perform pre-job hazard assessments
- use daily safety inspection checklists
- ensure all foremen have received OSHA 30-hour safety training
- ensure all field employees have received OSHA 10-hour safety training, and
- impose safety planning, training and inspection mandates on subcontractors.
These enhanced abatement efforts apply to all construction companies owned, managed or supervised by Northridge Construction owner Tim Kaywood.
Company pleaded guilty to criminal charges
The settlement agreement stems from a fatal incident that occurred Dec. 8, 2028 at a worksite in East Patchogue, New York. An employee fell 12 feet while attempting to walk on the roof panels of a partially completed building.
OSHA found fall protection, struck-by and electrical violations and issued its citations and fines on June 5, 2019. Northridge Construction contested the citations with the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission leading to the settlement agreement.
“While no settlement can restore a worker’s life, it can result in enhanced practices and procedures designed to save others,” OSHA Area Director Kevin Sullivan said. “Falls are among the deadliest hazards in construction work, but they are preventable by – among other things – supplying and requiring the use of fall protection equipment and the training workers need to use it properly.”
Northridge Construction pleaded guilty to related criminal charges in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 3, 2024.
