OSHA Cites Florida Construction Company After One Worker Died, Another Injured
Both workers, between the ages of 45 and 55, fell 35 feet during a project on Interstate 95.
- By Alex Saurman
- Jul 10, 2023
Following the death and hospitalization of two workers, a Florida highway and bridge construction company is facing a citation and over $50,000 in proposed penalties.
In December 2022, two workers of The de Moya Group were working on a bridge expansion project along Interstate 95 when they fell 35 feet, according to a news release. A concrete pile measuring 90 feet long and 18 by 18 inches and weighing 35,000 pounds had hit a lift’s boom, OSHA said, after the crane holding the pile “shifted in unstable soil.”
The incident resulted in the death of a 46-year-old worker, who was identified in an NBC Miami article as Joseph Jorel Bien Aime, and a month-long hospital stay along with a leg fracture for a 52-year-old worker.
The de Moya Group was cited for one other-than-serious and four serious violations and now faces $58,942 in proposed penalties for, among other violations, not ensuring the stability of the ground and not performing crane inspections.
"This tragedy never should have happened. A worker lost his life and a co-worker suffered life-altering injuries because The de Moya Group failed to follow industry-recognized and federally required safety measures," said OSHA Area Office Director Condell Eastmond in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in the news release. "Employers should use this tragic incident as a reminder to review their workplace safety practices and give their workers every opportunity to return to their families at the end of each workday safely."
The findings have been contested.
About the Author
Alex Saurman is a former Content Editor for Occupational Health & Safety,who has since joined OH&S’s client services team. She continues to work closely with OH&S’s editorial team and contributes to the magazine.