Denver Concrete Contractor Faces $166,000 in Penalties for Collapse Hazards
OSHA has proposed $166,000 in penalties against Concrete Express Inc. (CEI) of Denver for unsafe working conditions following a July 5, 2007, partial collapse of a concrete floor that injured 13 employees. The workers were involved in the placement and finishing of a concrete deck on the Landmark Tower condominium project in Greenwood Village, Colo., when the shoring, concrete, and formwork collapsed, and the employees fell to the floor below. The general contractor on the site was Beck Residential, which contracted with CEI to provide shoring and formwork for support of the concrete frame of the building.
Citations issued against the company by OSHA's Englewood Area Office included two willful violations with proposed penalties of $140,000 for a structural collapse hazard and improper shoring and bracing. Six serious violations with a proposed penalty of $26,000 cover employee exposure to collapse, fall and tripping hazards.
"Employers must provide a safe and healthful working environment, and ensure that all employees are protected from hazardous conditions," said John Healy, OSHA's area office director in Englewood, Colo. "This employer was well aware of, yet did not comply with, the standards that would have protected employees from the hazards we found during our inspection."