The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Lumus Construction, the company building Hanover’s wind turbine for two violations. The two fines totaled $3,080, but the contractor has already settled with OSHA for $2,420.OSHA reported that the size of the openings on a platform where employees stand high above the ground were too wide. Also, bolts were missing from many places on the turbine ladder.
An employee was working in December when he fell over twenty feet into the turbine; multiple rescue agencies worked to get him to the ground and to the hospital. This employee’s injuries caused the OSHA investigation.
Although the injury caused the investigation, an OSHA spokesman stated, “The company is not at fault for the injury. The fines are not related to the injury.” The president of Lumus assured that the employee was wearing a safety harness, and that the injury could have been much worse without it.
When a company has employees more than six feet above the ground, OSHA safety standards require that “personal fall arrest systems, covers, or guardrail systems erected need to be around any hole or opening.”
Pulgini & Norton, LLP attorneys have handled workers’ compensation claims for over 25 years in and around Boston and its surrounding areas. If you or a family member has been injured at work and would like to seek legal assistance, please contact us at (781) 843-2200 or (888) 344-2046 or email us.
Cited Sources:
OSHA fines Hanover turbine contractor for violations, Wicked Local Hanover, June 5, 2013