A construction company took a proactive stance on worker safety when they were recently investigated by OSHA for hazardous working conditions.
The agreement was reached simultaneously with the issuance of unclassified OSHA citations for alleged health and safety violations of OSHA's trenching standards, which occurred while A.P. Construction was working as a prime contractor for the University of Pennsylvania.
OSHA initiated an inspection in Oct. 1999 in response to an anonymous complaint alleging that employees were working in unsloped excavations more than 5 feet deep while installing 20 and 16 inch water mains in Philadelphia.
"I applaud A.P. Construction management for its full cooperation and commitment to improving worker safety," said Richard Soltan, OSHA regional administrator. "Their new safety program will go above and beyond the standards required by the OSH Act."
In addition to paying $135,000, A.P. Construction will institute an extensive health and safety program, including:
- forming a safety committee that will include employees, foremen, managers and superintendents.
- hiring a full-time safety and health manager responsible for conducting a pre-job hazard evaluation at each worksite during the bid process; and conducting and documenting weekly onsite safety and health audits at each active worksite.
- job site superintendents conducting daily job site safety inspections
- providing safety and health training to address hazards at each site, including confined space, material handling, fall protection, hazardous materials and excavation safety.