Worksite with ‘serious hazards’ yields $105K fine
ROBBINSVILLE >> A contractor for a Robbinsvillebased worksite is accused of exposing carpentry employees to fall hazards that could have resulted in injuries or death.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Quick Carpentry Inc. with a $105,631 total fine for alleged “serious violations” at 258 Gordon Road.
“Company employees were exposed to fall hazards, in excess of 12 feet to the ground surface below, when working/walking from the top plates of a residential structure’s outer framed walls without the use of any fall protection,” says a citation report signed by Paula Dixon-Roderick, director of OSHA’s Marlton Area Office. “In addition, the company employees had not received fall hazard recognition and minimization training, at any time, from the company.”
OSHA inspected the Robbinsville worksite on May 24 and identified seven “serious violations” and two repeat violations, including Quick Carpentry’s alleged failure to protect workers with fall-protection infrastructure.
In a citation report issued Sept. 26, OSHA alleges that an employee or employees of Quick Carpentry were performing residential construction activities from at least six feet above lower levels and “were not protected by guardrail systems, safety net system, or personal fall arrest system, nor were employee(s) provided with an alternative fall protection measure.”
Quick Carpentry Inc., a Philadelphia-based contractor, was previously cited Feb. 23 with a total fine of $4,800 for two alleged “serious violations” at a Burlington County worksite off Hornbeam Drive in Moorestown.
OSHA requires employers to provide working conditions that are free of known dangers and to train workers about job hazards in a language that they can understand. Federal regulations also require employers to select and provide required personal protective equipment at no cost to workers.
“Quick Carpentry exposed its employees to falls up to 12 feet while installing roof trusses on residential properties,” DixonRoderick said Monday in a news release. “Falls are the leading cause of serious injury and death in the construction industry so proper workplace safeguards are critical. This company’s failure to provide basic fall protection and total disregard for safety on all of these issues jeopardizes its employees needlessly, and will not be tolerated.”
The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations to comply with the proposed penalties or contest the allegations. The 15 days are up on Oct. 19, and OSHA as of Monday afternoon had not yet heard from Quick Carpentry, according to an OSHA spokesperson.
has contacted Quick Carpentry seeking comment for this story, but voice mail messages left with the company have not been returned as of 5 p.m. Monday.