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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: 404/347-4495
The U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) today cited McInnis Corporation and proposed $277,200 in
penalties after an employee drowned at a Mobile, Alabama, bridge construction
site.
McInnis is headquartered in Montgomery and employs 150
workers, 12 of whom were assigned to the Dog River Bridge project. Assistant
Secretary of Labor for OSHA Joseph A. Dear said, "OSHA will continue to levy
serious penalities against serious violators like McInnis Corporation when they
put workers' lives at risk."
According to Lana Graves, OSHA's Mobile area director, one
of the employees drowned on Aug. 10, 1995 when he fell approxi- mately 80 feet
from the bridge into the river.
Following its inspection, OSHA cited McInnis for two
willful violations with penalties of $126,000 for failure to provide equipment,
such as life rings and a skiff, for emergency rescue of employees working over
or near water. In addition, body belts were not worn by workers in an aerial
lift device.
Additional penalties of $126,000 were proposed for two
alleged repeat violations for failure to provide fall protection during bridge
construction over water.
The remaining four serious violations drew penalties of
$25,200 for defective welding cables, safety program and training deficiencies,
lack of fall protection during steel erection, and allowing employees to ride
the load of a crane.
"The most basic safety precautions can prevent water
fatali- ties," said Graves. "OSHA will not hesitate to take strong action when
employers fail to properly protect employees whose work involves being in or
near the water."
OSHA defines willful violations as those committed with an
intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the require- ments of the
OSH Act and regulations.
Repeat violations occur when an employer has been cited
previously for a substantially similar condition and the citation has become a
final order of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission
(OSHRC).
A serious violation involves a substantial probability
that death or serious physical harm could result and that the employer knew or
should have known of the hazard.
McInnis Corporation has 15 working days to contest OSHA's
citations and proposed penalties before the independent OSHRC.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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