Folan Waterproofing and Construction Co. Inc., of South Easton, has been cited by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for nine serious violations of workplace safety standards at a Lowell jobsite. In December of last year, an OSHA inspector found a Folan worker climbing onto the roof of Immaculate Conception Church, at 144 E. Merrimack Street, directly from his aerial lift without any form of employee fall protection. After this observation, OSHA quickly began an investigation into Folan´s jobsite safety.
OSHA found that the company´s workers lacked fall protection while in or exiting the aerial lift, a faulty wire rope that they used to haul up construction materials had not been noticed or removed from use, workers were not wearing helmets, they were exposed to electric shock risks from underground electrical equipment, and the crane they were using had not been inspected at least once a year. Employees had also not received training to recognize aerial lift hazards. The contractor now faces $48,510 in fines for these safety breeches.
OSHA´s Andover area director, Jeffrey A. Erskin, said “Left uncorrected, these conditions exposed workers to falls of up to 40 feet, electrocution and being struck by a falling load…While it is fortunate that none of these employees was injured or killed, workplace safety should never be a matter of fortune, good or bad. Ensuring the safety of workers means ensuring that proper and effective equipment and work practices are in place and in use every day at every job site.”
OSHA issues a serious violation when there is a probable chance that death or serious injuries could result from a work hazard that the employer should have known about or fixed.
If you have been injured in a construction accident or work accident while on the job, it is best advised that you contact an experienced Massachusetts workers’ compensation lawyer.
Source:
US Labor Department’s OSHA cites South Easton, Mass., contractor for fall, other hazards at Lowell, Mass., job site, OSHA Regional News Release, May 16, 2011
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Contact a Massachusetts work injury lawyer if you have been injured in the workplace.