OSHA Fines Indiana Contractor $199K for Exposing Workers to Deadly Fall Hazards Again
Originally Published by: OSHA — July 25, 2024
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Twice in less than two weeks, federal workplace safety inspectors found an Indiana contractor exposing employees to deadly risks of falls from elevation while they did framing work at two homes under construction in Perrysburg.
Inspectors with the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration observed employees of MDM & Sons Construction LLC working on residential roofs at heights up to 13 feet without proper fall protection on May 1 and May 14, 2024, at locations on Brampton Park Road and Old Dover Road, respectively.
OSHA issued four willful violations to the Woodburn-based company for again exposing workers to fall hazards, lacking fall protection training and not developing an accident prevention program. Inspectors also found the company failed to provide eye protection for workers using pneumatic nail guns. In addition, OSHA issued citations for six serious violations for failing to train workers to operate powered industrial trucks safely, exposing employees to ladder and electric hazards and lacking handrails on stairs.
The findings in these inspections are similar to those for which the agency cited the company for two willful and six serious violations after two inspections in 2021.
"MDM & Sons Construction continues its dangerous pattern of exposing its employees to the risk of serious injuries and death related to falls from elevation, the leading cause of fatalities in the construction industry," said OSHA Area Director Todd Jensen in Toledo, Ohio. "Federal law requires employers to provide and ensure the use of proper fall protection whenever people work at heights six feet or greater. If MDM & Sons Construction continues to ignore its legal responsibility to protect its workers' safety, it may only be a matter of time before disaster strikes and an employee's life is forever changed or ended. The company must act now."
MDM & Sons Construction faces $199,761 in proposed penalties and has been placed in OSHA's Severe Violator Enforcement Program.
In 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 1,056 construction workers died on the job, with 423 of those fatalities related to falls from elevation, slips or trips.
OSHA's stop falls website offers safety information and video presentations in English and Spanish to teach workers about fall hazards and proper safety procedures.