The death of a 32-year-old construction worker who died after a 19-foot-fall on the job was preventable, OSHA says.
SB Framing Services Inc., the employer of the residential framer Selvin Velasquez, did not ensure its workers had fall protection. As a result, Velasquez was killed after slipping and falling while working on a new residence.
“This tragedy was preventable,” said Condell Eastmond, director of OSHA’s Fort Lauderdale Area Office.
“SB Framing Services was warned previously by a third-party, as recent as the day before this incident, that the workers on the roof had no fall protection and needed to be secured safely. The company’s owner ignored the warning and took no action to protect its workers.”
OSHA found that SB Framing did not ensure that a fall protection system was in use, cited the company with one willful and one serious violation, and assessed fines of $53,900.
OSHA cited SB Framing for allowing employees to work from heights up to 19.5 feet without fall protection and for not providing workers with a training program on workplace safety.