Omega Demolition Corp. Cited After Worker Fatally Crushed by 40-Ton Beam
The company has been placed in OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program
After a 40-ton beam fell and caused the death of a laborer in Chicago, OSHA has cited Omega Demolition Corp., the worker’s employer, for one willful safety violation. The violation is for overstressing the beam during demolition.
OSHA has also cited the company for three serious and one other-than-serious violation following an investigation.
“The fact that this incident was preventable only compounds the tragedy,” said Ken Nishiyama Atha, OSHA’s regional administrator in Chicago. “Federal safety standards for demolition address specific procedures for preventing steel structures from being overstressed, a safety violation that directly contributed to the death of this worker.”
According to the news release, the worker was standing in an aerial lift and cutting steel bracing between two beams when one of them fell. Additional violations were issued for failing to follow OSHA standards related to respiratory protection, maintaining fit test records, and ensuring respirators were used correctly.