The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued fines totaling nearly $90,000 to Allied Brothers Construction, Inc for repeated violations of workplace safety at their worksite in Montebello, NY. The worksite is a residential construction site located on Ryan Mansion Drive after the agency received reports concerning worksite hazards and fall dangers.
OSHA’s representatives from their Tarrytown Area Office stated the worksite hazards where ‘unacceptably similar’ to other hazards found at the same worksite during other safety inspections. The agency feels the employer must take action to improve worker safety and decrease the number of hazards on its worksite.
The investigation found that workers were at risk for falls of up to 13 feet. They were working without proper protective gear on rooftops and using ladders that were not properly stabilized. The construction company, based in Bloomfield NJ, also permitted new workers to start their jobs without proper training for safety.
The company has been cited several times for similar issues between 2007 and 2012 in other worksites. The high fines imposed on the company are due to repeat violations concerning neglect of safety standards. OSHA has been promoting workplace safety, in particular where fatal falls are concerned. In 2010, there were over 250 worker fatalities as the result of falls during construction work and the agency has been active in trying to prevent continued deaths on the job.
Allied Brothers Construction, Inc has 15 business days after citations from OSHA have been issued to comply with better safety practices or contest the investigation results and fines before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.