The Occupational Safety and Heath Administration (OSHA) cited Sterling Properties, the developers of the BellClair of Montclair luxury apartment complex, with 17 alleged serious violations and issued proposed fines totaling $44,600.
The incident occurred March 27. OSHA's investigation following Yunganoula's death found:
- The scaffold was incapable of holding its own weight, let alone that of the workers standing on it.
- Footings were not level, and were incapable of supporting the loaded scaffold without shifting.
- Scaffolding footings were set on a mixed group of supports, including scrap wood and concrete blocks.
- uneven combinations of scrap wood and stacked concrete blocks. Employees working on the scaffold were exposed to a fall hazard of 34 feet to the ground below.
- Employees on the scaffolding were not protected from falls, and some workers were exposed to potentials falls as great as 34 feet.
- Employees were not trained to recognize and avoid unsafe scaffold conditions.