Massachusetts Concrete Contractor Fined $200,905 for OSHA Violations
The investigation was sparked by a tragic incident resulting in a worker’s death.
- By Robert Yaniz Jr.
- Dec 05, 2023
Following an investigation, OSHA identified a total of six violations—including three willful, two serious and one other-than-serious violation—at John Oliveira & Sons Stamp Concrete Inc.
According to a release dated Dec. 1, the Massachusetts-based concrete contractor now faces a total of $200,905 in proposed penalties for these violations, including those directly linked to a tragic incident that resulted in a worker's death.
On Sept. 6, 2023, the employee was instructed to remove a soil screen from a conveyor without first ensuring that the power source was disabled. The equipment started during maintenance operations, and the employee was fatally crushed between the conveyor and its frame due to John Oliveira & Sons Stamp Concrete Inc.’s failure to meet safety protocols, OSHA found.
“John Oliveira & Sons Stamp Concrete Inc.’s failure to employ well-known safeguards needlessly cost a worker's life,” OSHA Area Director James Mulligan in Braintree, Massachusetts, said in a statement. “Employers must develop and rigorously maintain equipment and each element of their energy control plans to identify and minimize hazards and protect workers’ safety and health.”
The company was found to have committed several violations, including the absence of an energy control program to isolate power sources during maintenance, failure to provide necessary safety hardware like locks and tags to prevent sudden equipment starts, inadequate maintenance of the soil screener, and allowing employees to ride in a front-end loader’s bucket, exposing them to additional crush and fall hazards.
John Oliveira & Sons Stamp Concrete Inc. now has 15 business days from the receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
About the Author
Robert Yaniz Jr. is the Content Editor of Occupational Health & Safety.