GMCS Editorial:
OSHA fines labor broker as well.
Acting on a worker complaint in June 2014, OSHA
investigated and found employees of Concrete Systems Inc. (CSI) in danger of
falling, being crushed and deafened due to a lack of required safeguards.
January 02, 2015
Acting on a worker complaint in June 2014, OSHA
investigated and found employees of Concrete Systems Inc. (CSI) in danger of
falling, being crushed and deafened due to a lack of required safeguards. The
inspection at the company's Hudson, N.H. facility resulted in two willful, 18
serious and six other violations. A manufacturer of large concrete formwork,
CSI faces $230,400 in proposed fines.
An agency that
supplies CSI with temporary workers, Marathon Staffing Services Inc., of
Tyngsboro, Mass. was also fined $7,000.
OSHA found instances where employees atop concrete formwork
and precast concrete structures lacked fall protection. OSHA also determined
that employees who are exposed to excess noise levels while operating casting
machinery did not receive baseline audiograms to guard against sustained
hearing loss. OSHA cited CSI for two willful violations that carry $126,000 in
proposed fines. A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing
or voluntary disregard for the law's requirements, or with plain indifference
to worker safety and health.
"Concrete Systems chose not to provide required
safeguards and exposed workers to potentially fatal or disabling falls and
possibly hearing damage," said Rosemarie Ohar, OSHA's New Hampshire area
director. "The company must act swiftly and effectively to eliminate these
hazards and prevent their recurrence to protect the health and safety of its
employees."
In addition to these hazards, OSHA found CSI employees
risked being crushed or injured by a custom-made lifting device and by the use
of damaged slings to move a 24,000-pound load. Inspectors also cited the
company for having an uninspected crane and for failing to employ a qualified
crane operator. They also found improperly operated and unattended forklifts,
unsafe arrangement of loads on forklifts, unguarded saw blades and hazardous
electrical equipment. These conditions resulted in citations for 24 violations,
carrying $104,400 in fines.
Marathon Staffing Services received one serious violation
for not providing audiograms to employees who are exposed to excessive noise
levels at CSI. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability
that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the
employer knew or should have known.
In April 2013, OSHA announced an initiative to improve
workplace safety and health for temporary workers, who are at increased risk of
work-related injury and illness. The initiative includes outreach, training and
enforcement to ensure that temporary workers are protected in their workplaces.
OSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have issued
a "Recommended Practices"* publication that focuses on ensuring that
temporary workers received the same training and protection that existing
workers received.
Each company has 15 business days from receipt of its
citations and proposed penalties to comply, meet with OSHA's area director, or
contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health
Review Commission.
Source: Construction
Equipment
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