According to the federal government’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a New Jersey contractor was performing work in Philadelphia in March of this year with multiple scaffolding safety violations. OSHA cited the contractor this month and has fined them $191,215 in violations. The agency has reported that DH Construction LLC had workers using scaffolding that was not properly secured or cross-braced. Further, it is alleged the contractor didn’t provide adequate planks on the floor and that workers were not protected from falling objects and debris.
In fact, some scaffolding was built too close to power lines, leading to OSHA issuing eight repeat and two serious violation citations. This comes after the owner had another construction company cited for similar offenses back in 2014. Falls from scaffolding are often serious. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, $70 billion is paid out each year by employers for Workers’ Compensation claims and medical bills that are related to workplace falls.
Despite scaffolding-related violations making the annual top 10 list of most frequently violated safety standards by OSHA nearly every year, companies still go against OSHA’s rules and, in many cases, common sense. Scaffolding that is misused or incorrectly assembled comes with inherent risks that are similar to roofers. In fact, a fall from any height, even when grabbing something off the shelf and standing on a chair to do so, poses a serious risk for injury. Even with the citations and fines against employers, many companies will cut corners just the same.
If you have fallen due to negligence in the installation or manufacturing of scaffolding, you may be entitled to compensation through a Workers’ Compensation claim or other route to financial compensation. Contact our team at Bochetto & Lentz today. Our team has experience working against unscrupulous employers and understand the laws as they apply to liability and scaffolding safety citations in New Jersey.