OSHA found employees exposed to falls ranging from 20 to 33 feet while working on the building's roof, a roof bracket scaffold, a ladderjack scaffold, and ladders.
The employee was stacking televisions on a storage rack while standing on an elevated powered industrial truck's platform when it suddenly tilted and caused the employee to fall approximately 12 feet.
At least 26 U.S. workers were killed in grain entrapments last year, and the number of entrapments is increasing, according to researchers at Purdue University.
In November 2010, OSHA began its inspection at a work site in Pinson as part of a regional emphasis program focused on fall hazards. Inspectors observed workers being exposed to fall hazards while installing a canopy at a new gas station.
The company's repeat violations are similar to others previously cited for lack of safe access and egress to a scaffold structure, and not protecting employees from falls when working at heights from a scaffold structure.
Ten serious violations include various fall hazards, a lack of personal protective equipment, and failure to train employees on lockout/tagout procedures to prevent accidental energy start-up.
This company has disregarded the safety of its employees and repeatedly allowed them to be exposed to struck-by hazards from structural failure, electrocution hazards and falls," said Robert Vazzi, OSHA's area director in Savannah.
"Our inspections found maintenance workers exposed to a variety of health and safety hazards while performing their duties, including stripping paint, removing drywall, and clearing basements of raw sewage that had backed up during heavy rains," said Kay Gee, OSHA's Manhattan area director.
New York City's buildings commissioner, Robert LiMandri, announced the citywide campaign's launch last week to emphasize the need to use fall harnesses, guardrails, and netting.
While inspecting the site, OSHA found that two trenches—including the one in which the injured employee was working—lacked cave-in protection, as neither had a trench box or shield system.
Construction falls and trench collapses might occur at any time during the year, but they typically peak during the summer.
NIOSH, BLS, and several state agencies analyzed Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses 2009 data and found length of absences from work increased steadily with age and was highest for the oldest workers.
"Eliminating safety barriers and failing to develop emergency plans because they are inconvenient or time-consuming is no excuse for endangering employees," said William Fulcher, director of OSHA's Atlanta-East Area Office.
OSHA has issued the company 13 safety citations for failing to provide fall protection and implement water safety procedures for workers sandblasting and painting the Interstate 75 Disalle Bridge more than 40 feet above the Maumee River.
Violations include exposing workers to combustible dust, fall and electrical hazards, among others.
Loads that are improperly rigged can expose workers to hazards including falls, electric shock, amputation, and being crushed by objects.
OSHA cited the company for 12 serious and one repeat violation after an inspection identified two incidents of anhydrous ammonia release, an absence of fall protection, the employer's failure to implement an emergency response plan, and other workplace hazards.
And the panel's reasoning in the April 7 decision offers support for the hearing protection reinterpretation OSHA recently withdrew.
OSHA initiated an inspection on Oct. 21, 2011, in response to a complaint alleging that the employer had not abated safety and health violations cited on July 14, 2010.
Directed primarily to those working on new construction, the document describes safety methods employers can implement during stages of construction.