OSHA cites Florida contractor again for allowing dangerous fall hazards

Employer name: AJ New Construction and Repair Inc.

Inspection site(s): 506 Heron Landing Road, St. Johns, Florida 32259
1684 W. State St., Jacksonville, Florida 32209

Citations issued: OSHA issued citations to the employer on Aug. 26, 2016.

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration conducted two separate inspections of AJ New Construction work sites at the Durbin Crossing subdivision in St. Johns and a new construction home on State Street in Jacksonville. The inspections are part of the agency’s Regional Emphasis Program on Falls in Construction.

OSHA issued AJ New Construction one willful and one repeated citation for allowing employees to work from heights up to 10 feet without fall protection.

Background: OSHA cited the company previously in 2015 for repeat violations and for serious violations in 2014 for a lack of fall protection.

Proposed penalties: $139,675

Quote: “AJ New Construction continues to put workers at risk of serious injury or death,” said Brian Sturtecky, OSHA’s area director in Jacksonville. “Falls are a leading cause of death in the construction industry and can be prevented if employers ensure workers are protected with a fall protection system.”

The citations can be viewed at:

• https://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/AJNewConstructionRepair_1140100.pdf
• https://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/AJNewConstructionRepair_1152474.pdf

Based in Jacksonville, AJ New Construction is a remodeling and framing contractor. 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 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.