Concord Worksite Lead to Fines From OSHA for Fall and Cave-in Hazards

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Fall and Cave-in Hazards at Concord, N.H., Worksite Lead to More Than $120,000 in Fines From the U.S. Labor Department's OSHA for Two Bay State Contractors

Concord, N.H. - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited two Massachusetts contractors for alleged violations of safety standards at a Concord construction site and proposed combined penalties totaling $120,200.

OSHA's inspection of a McDonald's restaurant construction site at 117 Loudon Road found employees of Shawnlee Construction, a Plainville, Mass., roofing contractor, exposed to fall hazards. Employees of James T. Lynch Contractors Inc., a Reading, Mass., excavation contractor, were found to be exposed to cave-in hazards. Shawnlee faces a total of $96,500 in proposed fines and Lynch a total of $23,700.

"These are two of the deadliest, yet most preventable, hazards in construction work," said Rosemarie Ohar, OSHA's area director in Concord. "Failing to ensure that the proper safeguards are in place and in use needlessly exposes employees to death or serious injuries from falls or being buried in a cave-in."

Specifically, Shawnlee employees were found to be working atop 15-foot high trusses without fall protection and were not adequately trained in anchoring their fall protection lifelines. These conditions resulted in two repeat citations, carrying $82,500 in proposed fines. OSHA had cited Shawnlee in 2005, 2006 and 2007 for similar conditions at worksites in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Shawnlee also has been issued two serious citations, with $12,000 in fines, for lack of eye protection for employees using nail guns and improper use of fall protection harnesses and lanyards. Two other-than-serious citations, with $2,000 in fines, were issued for the company's failure to maintain and provide the illness and injury log in a timely manner.

For the rest of this article please feel free to visit www.OSHA.gov.