OSHA cited AJP Construction Inc., Rutherford, N.J., and Northeastern Commonwealth of Lakewood, N.J., as a result of the death of an employee who was killed when he was struck by falling lumber while standing on a scaffold.
The agency has proposed $102,000 in penalties against the firms for alleged safety violations.
OSHA alleges that the company willfully violated safety standards by failing to provide proper fall protection for its employees.
"This employer knew and understood the requirement to provide fall protection for workers, and yet took no action to assure that proper scaffolding procedures were followed," said David Ippolito, OSHA area director.
Both companies received OSHA citations for the following alleged serious violations:
- failure to have a competent person erect scaffolding
- failure to use tag lines on hoisted loads
- failure to properly secure loads above a working scaffold
- failure to ensure that a qualified professional engineer designed scaffolding
- failure to provide fall protection and fall protection training to employees working on scaffolding and floor edges.
The companies have until Aug. 20 to contest the citations.
by Virginia Foran