MONDAY, JUNE 1, 2015
COLUMBIA COUNTY, GEORGIA (WRDW)
OSHA investigates a construction site after 20-year-old
Ricardo Ramirez Aguas, of North Augusta, fell about 20 feet onto a concrete
floor on May 15th. Aguas was pronounced dead a day later at Georgia Regents
Medical Center.
The incident happened at a construction site where a home
was being built by Ashworth Homes LLC.
The Director of OSHA's Atlanta East Area Office, William
Fulcher, confirms the agency is "actively investigating" the
construction site to determine if safety regulations were violated.
The incident occured on the 2100 block of Fothergill Drive.
Fulcher says Aguas employer was working as a subcontractor for Ashworth Homes. The company could take responsibility if violations are discovered.
"The general rule for construction fall protection
starts at 6 feet,” Fulcher said.
He adds anywhere above that height employers
are supposed to provide fall prevention like railings and safety harnesses to
prevent injury.
“Fall accidents in construction account for about 30 to 40
percent of all the fatal accidents that OSHA investigates here in Georgia,”
Fulcher said