This is the second part of a two part-report on recent OSHA violations at a Midtown Manhattan hotel construction work site at 323 West 33rd Street.
In addition to levying fines against Flintlock Construction Company for workplace safety violations, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) imposed fines on V&P Altitude Corp., a Brooklyn-based siding company. The business received five serious citations; proposed fines totalled $13,200. The fines were levied for lack of fall protection, failure to provide safe access to scaffolding, failure to completely plank the scaffold platforms, failure to secure the scaffolding by tying it off, and failure to lock mobile scaffold wheels and casters.
A third company, based in Astoria, Queens, received three serious citations. OSHA proposed penalties totalling $7,600 for electrical hazards and failing to provide protection for workers’ faces and eyes. A fourth company, Maspeth Steel Fabrication Inc., receive one serious citation accompanied by a $2,000 fine for failing to provide worker training on scaffold hazards.
Companies such as these have 15 business days to correct the violations, meet with the appropriate staff or contest the finding before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Most employers take advantage of these opportunities, seeking to reduce the penalties and fines by appealing.
In addition to inspecting worksites and seeking employer compliance with safety standards through inspections and citations, OSHA provides training for employers and employees on workplace safety through classes, instructional videos, posters, and other mechanisms. For example, it has developed a Fall Prevention program that targets employers, providing fact sheets, posters and videos in English and Spanish that describe fall hazards in detail. An important component of the program is the focus on how to implement appropriate workplace safety measures to prevent falls.
ForConstructionPros.com, “Four Contractors Cited For Safety Violations at NY Jobsite,” Sep. 26, 2013.