OSHA CITES FASTRACK ERECTORS FOR LACK OF FALL PROTECTION IN WORKER FATALITY. FALLS ARE THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY.
In this historical
photo taken Nov. 20, 1925, an American construction worker walks blindfolded on
a construction girder twenty stories above New York City. Old timers called the
practice of walking on the steel girders "dancing on the steel," and
it claimed many lives before fall protection widely was used in the
construction industry. Photo: Topical Press Agency/Getty Images
Old timers used to
call it “dancing on the steel.” It was the dangerous and celebrated practice of
walking along steel girders – high above construction sites – without wearing
fall protection. Many men lost their lives doing it. Add one more worker
fatality to the list.
A 22-year-old
apprentice ironworker fell more than 30 feet to his death on July 25, 2014
while standing on a 9-inch-wide steel girder on a building under construction
in Kansas City. On the job for just a few weeks, the worker’s employer,
Fastrack Erectors Inc., did not provide him with fall protection, according to
OSHA.
Following an
investigation into the fatality, OSHA cited the structural steel company for
seven willful and three serious safety violations and placed the company in the
Severe Violator Enforcement Program. Fastrack Erectors employs 40 workers, who
specialize in structural steel, miscellaneous steel, pre-engineered metal
buildings, ornamental metal handrails and precast installation. The company
employs union ironworkers from local union halls. Ironworkers Local 10 in
Kansas City represented the 16 employees at the site.
“This young man had
his whole life ahead of him. His dreams of marriage, children and exploring the
great outdoors were cut short because his employer failed to provide fall
protection, a violation of its own safety manual and OSHA rules,” said Marcia
Drumm, OSHA’s regional administrator. “This tragedy illustrates how quickly a
worker can die when fall protection is not provided, and why it's so
important.”
In fact, fatal
falls, slips or trips took the lives of 699 workers in 2013. Falls remain the
leading cause of death in the construction industry.
OSHA’s inspection
found that Fastrack Erectors violated its own safety manual and a signed
contract with the site’s general contractor, ARCO National Construction-KC Inc.
The contract required subcontractor personnel who worked at heights higher than
6 feet to be provided with adequate fall protection.
In addition to
failing to provide fall protection, Fastrack Erectors also allowed workers to
climb the scissor lift guardrails to access the steel frame and decking and
allowed them to climb the rails of the aerial lift basket. A total of seven
willful violations were cited. A willful violation is one committed with
intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law's requirement, or with
plain indifference to employee safety and health.
OSHA also found
Fastrack Erectors used makeshift devices on scaffold platforms to increase
working height, did not inspect fall arrest systems before use and failed to
instruct workers on the use and application of fall protection equipment,
resulting in three serious violations. An OSHA violation is serious 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.
ARCO National
Construction-KC Inc., the general contractor on the site, has been cited for
four serious violations, including lack of fall protection during steel
erection activities, using makeshift devices to increase working heights and
climbing the guardrails of aerial and scissor lifts. OSHA has proposed
penalties of $24,000 for the St. Louis-based company.
OSHA
maintains a Web page dedicated to fall prevention with detailed
information in English and Spanish on fall protection standards. The page
offers fact sheets, posters and videos that vividly illustrate various fall
hazards and appropriate preventive measures.
OSHA's ongoing Fall
Prevention Campaign provides employers with lifesaving information and
educational materials on how to create a plan to prevent falls, provide the
right equipment for workers and train employees to use that equipment properly.
The campaign launched in 2012, and was developed in partnership with the
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and NIOSH's National
Occupational Research Agenda program.
Both companies have
15 business days from receipt of their citations and penalties to comply,
request an informal conference with Drumm or contest the findings before the
independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.