• 19
  • May
    2011

Sure, companies make mistakes. Companies are made up of people, so obviously errors are going to happen every now and then. When errors in judgment become a habit, however, and those mistakes put workers' lives at risk, action needs to be taken to improve workplace safety.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has taken that action, repeatedly. According to an OSHA new release, an Alabama canopy company's negligence is persistent, putting workers at risk of sustaining a workplace injury. OSHA has cited the company for the hazardous conditions of their various Alabama sites.

We will not name the specific company at the center of this dispute. The Alabama company builds and installs canopies for convenience stores and gas stations. Part of that work is working up high, using ladders, scaffoldings etc. Clearly, workers at such sites are constantly at risk of falling, which is why certain safety regulations must be met in the dangerous construction work.

The company's various work locations in Pinson, Tuscaloosa and Albertville have all been cited by OSHA for failing to meet required safety standards onsite. The sites share some of the same reasons for citation: failing to ensure head protection is worn, failing to properly plank the scaffold platform, exposing workers to fall hazards by improperly using ladders, etc.

Each of the three sites has been cited for repeat violations. In some of the cases, the violations are considered serious safety violations, meaning the company's negligence to address a known hazard will likely result in the death or serious physical injury of its workers.

For now, the company's proposed punishment for these violations is about $200,000 in fines. We will post more information should new developments arise regarding this company and its workplace conditions.

Source

OHSA Regional News Release: "US Department of Labor's OSHA cites Alabama canopy company for exposing workers to fall hazards; proposes more than $200,00 in fines," Michael D'Aquino and Michael Wald, 9 May 2011