U.S. Department of Labor Cites Construction Contractors for Safety Violations After Worker Fatality and Injuries at I-4 Ultimate Project in Florida

ORLANDO, FL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Skanska-Granite-Lane – a joint venture operating as SGL Constructors – for exposing employees to safety hazards at the I-4 Ultimate Improvement Project worksite in Orlando, Florida. One worker suffered fatal injuries and another was hospitalized. The contractor faces $53,976 in penalties.

On Sept. 28, 2019, a concrete beam struck the aerial lift on which the two employees were working. Following its investigation, OSHA cited SGL Constructors for exposing employees to struck-by hazards, failing to provide adequate training and allowing employees to walk under a load while a crane was moving.

In a separate incident, OSHA cited SGL Constructors for caught-between and struck-by hazards after a large metal pipe struck another employee at the worksite, who was then hospitalized. OSHA cited the company for a willful violation – with $134,937 in penalties – for stacking pipes in an unsecure manner on an uneven slope. 

OSHA also cited Universal Engineering Sciences, another company on the I-4 site, for exposing employees to struck-by hazards from rolling pipes. The company faces $12,145 in penalties.  

“These employers failed to take appropriate action and provide the necessary protections to employees while they worked on this highway improvement project,” said OSHA Regional Administrator Kurt Petermeyer. “Occupational safety and health standards exist to protect workers’ safety.”

OSHA provides resources on protecting employees from potential hazards in construction, and training on and appropriate operation of an aerial lift.

The companies have 15 business days from receipt of the citations and proposed penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

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 https://www.osha.gov.

The mission of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.