OSHA says it issued large fines to this company because of the seriousness of the violations and the recurring nature of the hazards. An injured worker and a complaint brought OSHA to the firm’s work sites.
Twin Pines Construction of Everett, MA, faces $336,200 in OSHA fines for violations at two work sites.
OSHA inspected one site in Plymouth, MA, after a worker suffered broken ribs and leg injuries when an unbraced wooden roof truss system collapsed around him. The agency inspected a second site in Reading, MA, after receiving a complaint about possible hazards there.
Fines for two willful, two repeat and four serious violations at the Plymouth site resulted in $196,200 in fines.
OSHA found:
- Trusses weren’t adequately braced during their installation, exposing employees to being struck by them
- Workers were also exposed to falls of up to 12 feet during installation of trusses
- Impalement hazards existed from uncovered anchor bolts, and
- Additional fall and struck-by hazards existed from a misused ladder and rigging that wasn’t inspected or tagged.
Some of the violations were labeled repeat because of similar violations cited by OSHA in 2009 and 2011.
Fines for two willful violations at the Reading site totaled $140,000. Workers didn’t have fall protection and faced falls of 10 to 20 feet.
“The large penalties proposed in these cases reflect the gravity and recurring nature of these hazards,” said Marthe Kent, OSHA’s New England regional administrator. “Falls remain the number one killer in construction work. Employers who deliberately and repeatedly fail to supply and ensure the use of effective fall protection safeguards are repeatedly gambling with their workers’ lives.”
OSHA placed Twin Pines in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program which mandates targeted follow-up inspections. OSHA may inspect any of the employer’s facilities if it has reasonable ground to believe there are similar violations.
Twin Pines has 15 business days to decide whether to contest the violations. Appeals may be heard by the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.