Steel Erection Company Continues to Expose Workers to Fall Hazards after 2011 Fatality: OSHA
W.S. Steel Erection faces $175,700 in proposed fines.
OSHA has cited W.S. Steel Erection for two repeat violations after an inspection determined the company exposed workers to fall hazards repeatedly. The company was previously cited in 2011 after an employee fell 17 feet and later died. OSHA has issued $175,700 in proposed penalties.
This inspection happened after an investigator saw one worker on a platform supported by a forklift and other employees working from an aerial lift, none of whom were using fall protection.
More specifically, the repeat violations are for employees working 10 feet above a lower level without fall protection and others working form a lift without a harness and lanyard attached to the basket.
"W.S. Steel continues to expose its employees to the danger of fatal falls, despite the tragic death of one of its workers in a fall in 2011," said Casey Perkins, OSHA's area director in Austin. "We were fortunate that our investigator intervened this time and the workers at the site went home safely. We hope these citations will serve to remind this employer and others how dangerous falls are. In fact, they are a leading cause of deaths in the construction industry."