Jacksonville, Florida-based ShayCore Enterprises cited by OSHA following worker being injured

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A 30-year-old painter was hospitalized after he received second and third degree burns when his ladder came into contact with overhead power lines. As a result, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited ShayCore Enterprises with five safety and health violations. ShayCore Enterprises was subcontracted to paint the exterior of Total Office Solutions furniture and warehouse on Emerson Street in Jacksonville.

"The employer recognized the hazards associated with working near power lines, but failed to take action to ensure workers were protected and equipped with the proper tools to perform the work safely," said Brian Sturtecky, OSHA's area director in Jacksonville. "The employer's inaction nearly resulted in a worker losing his life."

A willful citation was issued for allowing employees to use aluminum ladders near power lines. A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law's requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health.

OSHA issued serious violations for exposing workers to falls up to 27 feet and for not providing employees with a fall protection system; failing to train employees on how to recognize hazards associated with using aluminum ladders around electrical lines; and not ensuring the ladder used to access the roof extended 3 feet above the roofline. Another violation involves not implementing a written respiratory protection program. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

ShayCore Enterprises is a licensed general contracting and construction management firm with three separate divisions: residential, commercial and industrial. The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, request a conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety & Health Review Commission. Proposed penalties total $63,700.

According to Bureau of Labor Statistics preliminary data from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, fatal work injuries in Florida accounted for 234 of the 4,405 fatal work injuries reported nationally in 2013. Additional details are available at http://www.bls.gov/.

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint or report workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Jacksonville Area Office at 904-232-2895.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.