OSHA fines Philadelphia contractor $72K for fall, trenching safety violations

Employer name: Hua Da Construction
917 Arch St.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Inspection site: 934 Arch St.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Citations issued: On Nov. 9, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations for one repeat and one serious safety violations.

Inspection findings: An inspection began on June 10, 2016, after OSHA received a complaint alleging that Hua Dua Construction employees were exposed to fall hazards as high as 18 feet. An agency inspector arrived at the work site and found employees exposed to imminent danger fall and trenching hazards.

Inspectors cited the repeat violation for lack of fall protection. The company was previously cited for similar violations in March and May 2016. The serious violation involved exposing workers to cave-in hazards due to an inadequate protective system.

Quote: “Hua Da Construction continues exposing its workers to falls, the leading cause of death in the construction industry, and caught-in trenching hazards, one of the top four regularly cited construction violations,” said Theresa Downs, director of OSHA’s Philadelphia Area Office. “When construction contractors like Hua Da Construction repeatedly ignore safety standards, they jeopardize worker safety.”

Proposed penalties: $72,511

The citations can be viewed at: https://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/HuaDaConstructionInc_1154460.pdf

OSHA has a national emphasis program on trenching and excavations. Trenching standards require protective systems on trenches deeper than 5 feet, and soil and other materials kept at least two feet from the edge of trench.

The employer 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 Philadelphia office at 215-597-4955.

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.