OSHA Cites NY, NJ Construction Companies for Violations

The U.S. Department of Labor proposed more than $648,000 in penalties against six construction employers in New York and New Jersey for exposing workers to serious safety hazards at a project in Monroe, N.Y.

The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration said the violations involved excavation work at the site of a planned 408,000-square-foot mixed-use commercial development.

OSHA investigated reports of struck-by and collapse hazards at the site.

Investigators said they found an excavation with a steep, unstable, and inadequately sloped embankment that was nearly 75 feet high.

The agency issued 23 serious and five willful citations to the project’s general contractor and five subcontractors.

Safety Violations

The violations included failing to protect workers from cave-in, struck-by, and chemical hazards; protect workers from falling or rolling rock and soil; and ensure a competent person conducted daily excavation inspections.

OSHA also cited general contractor Advanced Plan and Build LLC and subcontractor The Paving Masters LLC for failing to ensure the excavation was designed by a registered professional engineer.

In total, the agency proposed $648,094 in combined penalties for Advanced Plan and Build, The Paving Masters, Parkstone Inc., Obstacle Systems Inc., Century Max Industries Corp., DelValle Contractor, and Prime Structure Inc.

OSHA encouraged employers to learn more about complying with federal safety standards and protecting workers around trenches and excavations.