The three contractors are looking at $71,340 in fines and penalties for failing to enforce fall protection standards and also for violating other safety rules on the job. The office of Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that the contractors did not provide scaffold guardrails, stair handrails or provide sufficient safety training for their workers.
The three New York contractors had 21 alleged violations; they are Arberia & Associates, K&G Haxhari Construction and Mondi Construction, Inc.
Workers were observed at a site in the Bronx working at 24 feet above the ground without proper scaffolding, OSHA also found electrical, tripping, training and scaffolding hazards.
OSHA’s area director Diana Cortez said “the absence of required guardrails exposed these workers to potentially deadly or disabling falls of more than two stories. While it is fortunate no one fell, workplace safety cannot be left to the whims of fortune.”
The contractors have 15 business days to comply or contest the findings or meet with the area director.
