Three separate companies are facing penalties for not protecting workers from accidents, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The violations led to the deaths of two workers at a Hockley work site last August.
According to a press release from OSHA, two workers were killed when they were cutting metal with a torch and a fire broke out. Both were employees of Jordan General Contractors. Watco Mechanical Services and JP Electric are also facing penalties in relation to the accident.
The companies are accused of several OSHA violations, including failing to implement a respiratory program, ensuring cutting is halted in the presence of flammable dust, ensuring safety when using an aerial lift, and training workers on the hazards of combustible dusts.
Other citations include 14 doled out to Watco Mechanical. Among those were failure to control dust emissions, to keep work areas clean, to keep emergency respirators charged, and to document maintenance of respirators.
In total, the companies were fined nearly $120,000. They have 15 days to comply with OSHA’s sanctions or contest the findings.
“This incident underscores the seriousness of exposing workers to the inadequate control of combustible dust,” said a Houston-area OSHA director. “Following OSHA standards helps to save lives and avoid such needless tragedy.”
Often we find that construction accidents are caused when employers or workers skirt OSHA standards. These violations put everyone on the job site at risk of serious injury or even death.
Your foreman may be in a rush to meet a deadline set by his own supervisors and may push you to sidestep standard safety precautions. Or maybe you work with someone who doesn’t practice good safety measures. Whatever the case, when you fail to work on a safe site and with safe people, you are at risk of being hurt.
Construction accidents can end in tragedy. Fortunately, when you are hurt, you may be entitled to compensation above and beyond the standard worker’s compensation.
If you are hurt on a construction site, I may be able to help as a Houston-area personal injury lawyer, I help people get the compensation they deserve for their injuries. Call me today to discuss your case at 281-677-3963.
