OSHA Cites Connecticut Contractor for Mercury and Respirator
Hazards at New Hampshire Demolition Site
CONCORD, NH – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Manafort Brothers, Inc. for exposing workers to mercury and respirator hazards while they dismantled a mercury boiler at a Portsmouth worksite. The Plainville, Connecticut, construction contractor faces penalties of $329,548.
OSHA’s inspection – in response to workers’ complaints – found that employees were being exposed to high levels of mercury during the demolition and Manafort Brothers Inc. was not taking steps to reduce those exposures to below permissible levels. In addition, the company did not evaluate the respirator program’s effectiveness in protecting workers against exposures and did not consult with the employees to identify and correct any respirator problems.
“These hazards were certainly preventable,” said OSHA’s New Hampshire Area Director Rosemarie O. Cole. “High mercury exposure can result in permanent nervous system and kidney damage. It is critically important that employers remain vigilant and ensure that effective safeguards are in place to prevent and minimize workers’ exposures.”
In total, OSHA cited the company for two willful and six serious violations concerning mercury, respirators, protective clothing, and sanitary conditions.
The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
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 www.osha.gov.
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PLAINVILLE, Conn. (WTNH)–The Plainville-based Manafort Brothers construction company has been cited by the U.S. Department of Labor for exposing workers to mercury and respirator hazards.
The company was founded by former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort‘s grandfather. Manafort was indicted on charges related to conspiracy against the United States as part of the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
The exposure happened while workers dismantled a mercury boiler at a Portsmouth, New Hampshire work site, according to a release from the Department of Labor.
The company was cited with two willful and six serious violations concerning mercury. respirators, protective clothing, and sanitary conditions.
The company has 15 business days to respond to the citation.
From Manafort Brothers, Inc. web pages:
Manafort is the oldest demolition contractor in the Northeast and is highly rated nationwide by Engineering News-Record. We excel at the most difficult demolitions… those requiring expertise and highly-specialized equipment.
Among the work we perform are complete removals, implosions, interior strip-outs, and 24-hour emergency responses. We are one of the few companies ever contracted to completely decommission and dismantle a nuclear power plant.
Our project list includes Boston 's 23-story Madison Hotel , Hartford 's first skyscraper, and the World Trade Center site in New York .
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A Connecticut construction company faces $330,000 in fines after federal officials found its workers were exposed to mercury at a job site in Portsmouth earlier this year.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, says Manafort Brothers, Inc., failed to protect its workers from repeated exposures to high levels of mercury.
A Manafort worker reported to OSHA in June they'd been exposed to mercury on the job at 400 Gosling Road in Portsmouth – the address of the Schiller Station power plant.
OSHA says workers were exposed continuously while dismantling mercury boilers and other equipment there. In one eight-hour period, the citation says, says workers were exposed to as much as 17 times the legal limit of mercury.
The heavy metal can cause permanent nervous system and kidney damage.
Manafort Brothers, Inc., is run by relatives of former Donald Trump campaign advisor Paul Manafort. The company has 15 days to pay the fine.