OSHA’s recent crackdown: Too much or not enough?
August 4, 2009 by Fred HosierPosted in: Compliance, construction safety, contractor safety, Falls, Fatality, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views
PDF A construction fatality in Texas has spurred criticism of OSHA’s recent inspection increase. But not all of the criticism is the same.
Last week, a worker was killed when he fell more than 20 stories from a high-rise construction site in Dallas.
Jose Aguila, 37, was installing metal louvers on the side of the building. A scaffold collapsed, and the worker’s safety harness failed, according to a report by NBC-5 in Dallas.
In June, OSHA announced an increase in construction-site inspections in Texas due to the high rate of worker fatalities and serious injuries.
Raleigh Roussell, with contractor organization TEXO, complains that some OSHA inspectors arriving at construction sites are transfers from other OSHA areas who don’t have construction experience. “The hazards are much different than those in a plant,” he said.
Personal injury attorney Mark Werbner is also critical of OSHA’s inspections, but for a much different reason.
Werbner says the agency is still far too easy on contractors and the fines for violations aren’t high enough.
What do you think? Let us know in the Comments Box below.
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August 5th, 2009 at 7:54 am
His harness failled?
Do they know how he was connected (to the scaffold/ with a ropegrab on a safety-/ backuprope)
If a scaffold collaps and you are connected to it than you don’t stand a change. If you are connected to and extra safet-/backuprope you have the possibility of surviving’if you work on top of the scaffold. Because if you work in the middleand it collaps you will get the upper part on the scaffold on top of you and the fources will be so big that your equipment (lanyard/ harness/ fall arrest block) will break, or you body, or both)
Inspection of and building of scaffolds is very important and a lot of people still don’t realize.
On the other hand, the user shoul check the scaffold and if he thinks it is not safe (common sence) he should not work on it in the first place.
Dirk van Blijswijk
Safe Site B.V.
The Netherlands
August 10th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
OSHA”s should contuine to inspect all construction site so these should not happen some jobs are not as dangerous as other but construction site should be inspected for saftey and if the contactors follow the safety guidelines then it would make OSHA”s job a lot better knowing all rules are followed