Pennsylvania contractor JJ Stucco and Stone Inc. cited for willfully exposing workers to fall hazards

OSHA has cited Lansdowne, Pa., masonry contractor JJ Stucco and Stone Inc. for three willful and three repeat safety violations. The inspection was initiated in response to a referral by the Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections due to an imminent threat to worker health and safety at the site. The investigation found workers exposed to fall hazards while applying stucco to the exterior of a residential construction site. Proposed penalties total $235,700.

"This employer was placed in OSHA's Severe Violator Enforcement Program in 2011 after multiple instances of repeated, high-gravity violations," said Nicholas DeJesse, director of OSHA's Philadelphia Area Office. "By refusing to provide the proper fall protection, this company is putting workers' lives at risk. Falls are the leading cause of death in construction. Protecting workers from fall hazards must be a priority."

The employer failed to use scaffolding with adequate bracing to prevent tipping or collapse or to provide fall protection for employees working up to a height of 32 feet. Repeat violations were also cited for additional scaffolding hazards, lack of training on fall dangers and failure to develop and implement a hazard communication program. For more information, read the news release.