Homebuilder, Florida contractor expose workers to dangerous falls, other hazards at Ocala job site; OSHA proposes $107K in fines

Employer name: D.R. Horton Inc.
Garcia Carpentry LLC

Inspection site: The Meadows at Heath Brook, 4904 SW 58^th Place, Ocala, Florida 34474

Citations issued: OSHA issued citations to the employers on Aug. 15, 2016

Investigation findings: Inspectors with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration observed employees installing roofing sheathing without fall protection, and cited the companies with five safety violations. This inspection is part of the agency’s Regional Emphasis Program on Falls in Construction.

D.R. Horton was issued one repeated citation for failing to ensure subcontractor employees were protected with a fall protection system when working from heights up to 25 feet. Garcia Carpentry was issued a repeated citation for the same violation and an additional repeated for allowing workers to use the top step of a ladder to access and exit the roofing trusses.

OSHA also cited Garcia with two serious violations for employees not wearing hard hats and for operating powered nail guns without eye protection.

Proposed penalties: $107,785

Quote: “Both D.R. Horton and Garcia Carpentry recognize the hazards associated with working at heights more than 6 feet, yet failed to provide employees with the training, protection and tools required to safeguard them from the construction industry’s leading cause of death – unprotected falls,” said Brian Sturtecky, OSHA’s area director in Jacksonville. “Four in 10 industry fatalities result from preventable falls. The consequences of not being prepared and complacent can lead to disaster. Employers must be diligent and demand safe work practices on all job sites.”

The citations can be viewed at:

• https://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/GarciaCarpentryLLC_1129929.pdf
• https://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/DRHorton_1129965.pdf

D.R. Horton is one of the nation’s largest homebuilders with approximately 4,000 workers. Garcia Carpentry is a framing contactor based in Winter Garden. The companies have 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 and Health Review Commission.

To ask questions; obtain compliance assistance; file a complaint or report amputations, eye loss, 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.