FLORIDA STATE
UNIVERSITY CONSTRUCTION FATALITY RESULTS IN CITATIONS AND FINES FOR 4
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA, CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES.
OSHA ISSUED CITATIONS TO CULPEPPER CONSTRUCTION CO. INC., MILLER'S
PLUMBING, BENCHMARK ERECTORS INC. AND FLECK EXTERIOR SYSTEMS INC., ALL BASED IN
TALLAHASSEE, FOR SERIOUS AND WILLFUL SAFETY VIOLATIONS.
Jan. 7, 2015
A material and personnel hoist used at the Florida State
University construction site.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A 25-year-old employee of Miller's
Plumbing and Mechanical Inc. died after being struck and crushed by a
material/personnel elevator carriage not enclosed on all four sides. The
employee was working on a six-story residential project at Florida State
University.
After an investigation of the July 28, 2014, fatality,
the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration
found the employer allowed a window-frame opening in a building under
construction to be uncovered, which exposed workers to the hazard of being
struck and crushed by the elevator carriage as it passed within inches of the
opening. OSHA then issued citations to Culpepper Construction Co. Inc.,
Miller's Plumbing, Benchmark Erectors Inc. and Fleck Exterior Systems Inc., all
based in Tallahassee, for serious and willful safety violations.
"Culpepper and Miller's management acknowledged
workers were exposed to a serious safety hazard, but failed to ensure all four
sides adjacent to the material hoist structure were protected adequately,"
said Brian Sturtecky, OSHA's area director in Jacksonville. "The
employers' inaction and lack of commitment to a safe workplace has caused this
tragic loss."
General contractor Culpepper Construction Co. and
Miller's Plumbing each were issued a willful citation for exposing workers to
crushing hazards. Additionally, Benchmark Erectors and Fleck Exterior Systems
were each cited with one serious violation for the same safety hazard.
A willful violation is one committed with intentional,
knowing or voluntary disregard for the law's requirements, or with plain
indifference to worker safety and health. A serious violation occurs when there
is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result
from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.
Proposed penalties for the four companies total
$149,800. View current citations at http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/MillersPlumbing_987167.pdf*.
Culpepper Construction Co. provides constructing
management design-and-build services. Miller's Plumbing installs and services
commercial plumbing and mechanical systems. Benchmark Erectors specializes in
historical, commercial and security window sales and installation. Fleck
Exterior Systems installs insulation finish systems and stucco.
Bureau of Labor Statistics data from the Census of
Fatal Occupational Injuries shows fatal work injuries in Florida accounted for
234 of the 4,405 fatal work injuries* reported
nationally in 2013. Additional details are available at http://www.bls.gov.
The companies have 15 business days from receipt of the
citations and proposed penalties to comply, request a conference with OSHA's
area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational
Safety and Health Review Commission.
To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a
complaint or report workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing
imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at
800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Jacksonville Area Office at 904-232-2895.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of
1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful
workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for
America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and
providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.