Non-Compliance with OSHA Safety Measures Cost Plainville Firm $50,000 In Fines

OSHA , The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Shawnlee Construction for failing to take steps to safeguard workers against fall hazards, during the construction of a new building. OSHA found the Shawnlee employees exposed to falls of upto 11 and ½ feet.

The company failed to have a guardrail system, safety nets or a personal fall arrest system, that is mandatory if workers are working on areas that are above ground level .

Following OSHA’s citing Shawnlee Construction has been fined $50,000 by the federal government for failing to implement safety measures against dangerous falls at the workplace.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration said that Shawnlee has been found to be overlooking safety precautions repeatedly and hence, the hefty fine. “The sizable fine proposed in this case reflects this employer’s history of fall protection violations, having been cited for similar hazards in three different states over the past five years.”

The violation for which the fine was levied was for violations that investigators found, during an inspection of a construction site in Montville, Conn., where a town public safety building was being built.

Paul Mangiafico, OSHA’s area director in Hartford said that falls were amongst the worst hazards in construction work. “Employees are literally a step away from a disabling or deadly fall that can end their careers or their lives in seconds. The safety and well-being of employees depends on effective fall protection safeguards being in place and in use at all times on all job sites.”

According to U.S. Department of Labor statistics, In 2010, 751 construction workers across the country died on the job, and 35 percent of those deaths resulted from falls.

The company has 15 business days from the receipt of its citation, which was March 22, to comply or contest the findings. A spokesman for Shawnlee could not be reached for comment.