Workers Exposed to Deadly Fall Hazards Twice in 2 Months
By
A recent study found that falls are among the costliest workplace injuries. In fact, they’re in the top three workplace injuries with the highest compensation payouts.
So when it comes to protecting workers from deadly fall hazards, most employers stand firm on safety training requirements and the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
When workers aren’t protected from fall hazards, employers may face expensive fines, as this recent case shows.
Inspectors spot deadly fall hazards
In Illinois, OSHA inspectors observed Maestro Construction Inc. employees doing framing work at two homes under construction. The employees were working at heights up to 20 feet without adequate fall protection. Inspectors noted that some workers put on fall protection PPE but wore it incorrectly, making it useless.
OSHA inspectors also learned the company failed to certify the employees had been trained in fall hazards or the required use of PPE. In addition, they found damaged electrical cords in use.
The incidents occurred on two separate occasions, in December 2023 and February 2024.
Contractor is a repeat offender
What’s more, this wasn’t the first time Maestro Construction Inc. caught the feds’ attention. The agency cited Maestro Construction four times in 2023 for fall-related violations.
And the contractor has been cited seven times since 2020, according to a DOL press release.
OSHA proposes $264K fine
OSHA proposed $264,407 in penalties for:
- Two willful violations
- Two repeat violations
- Two serious violations, and
- One other-than-serious violation.
“Contractors like Maestro Construction that willfully ignore federal safety standards for fall protection are endangering the lives and well-being of their employees,” said OSHA Area Director Jacob Scott in Naperville, Illinois. “Despite being cited seven times since 2020, this company continues to show a callous disregard for their employees’ safety, and we will continue to hold them accountable for their defiance of regulations.”
Fall prevention requirements
Employers must set up workspaces to prevent employees from falling from overhead platforms, elevated workstations or into holes in the floor and walls.
OSHA requires fall protection be provided beginning at elevations of:
- 4 feet in general industry workplaces
- 5 feet in shipyards
- 6 feet in the construction industry, and
- 8 feet in longshoring operations.
Moreover, OSHA requires fall protection to be provided when employees are working above dangerous equipment and machinery, regardless of the fall distance.
Info: Contractor exposes employees to deadly fall hazards twice in 2 months, 6/12/24.
Further Reading
FMLA Intermittent Leave: 8 Questions HR Asks Most
Intermittent FMLA leave is a giant thorn in the side of HR people everywhere. But not all intermittent leave requests are equal. Here’s a look at some of the most common scenarios, and how to handle them.
Unpaid Pre-Shift Work Costs New Jersey Employer $725K
A New Jersey drywall installer must pay $725,000 after failing to pay 48 workers overtime for pre-shift work performed while they waited for transportation to job sites. The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division found P & B Partitions Inc. violated the Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime rules. The company also refused […]
Connecticut Joins States Regulating Workplace AI: 7 Compliance Steps
Connecticut is putting employers on notice over workplace AI. Effective Oct. 1, 2026, SB 5 clarifies that Connecticut employers facing a discrimination claim can’t blame the artificial intelligence (AI) tools they use to make hiring, promotion, discipline or termination decisions. Other changes that kicked in the same day: And there’s more coming. The law’s second […]
USCIS Plans to Abolish 60-Day Grace Period for Certain Nonimmigrant Workers
On Sept. 11, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that, if adopted, would eliminate the 60-day grace period currently granted to most nonimmigrant workers in H-1B, H-1B1, E-1, E-2, E-3, L-1, O-1 or TN status who abruptly lose their positions. The grace period has been in place since […]
Pa. Court Sets 3-Year Deadline for Minimum Wage Act Claims
Pennsylvania employers face a three-year window for employees to sue over unpaid minimum wages or overtime under state law, rather than the six years a trial court previously allowed. The ruling came in a case involving 20 pharmacy employees seeking overtime for work done from 2017 to 2019. The employers argued the claims were filed […]
Hidden Payroll Rounding Risk: Unpaid Pre-Shift Time Under Scrutiny
Required pre-shift tasks – and whether employees are paid for them – are at the center of a former hospital nurse’s wage dispute. Chestnut Hill Hospital required nurses to change into surgical scrubs by 7 a.m. for a morning huddle. Pamela McBride sued under the Fair Labor Standards Act, alleging the hospital didn’t pay her […]