A federal judge has upheld citations and penalties brought by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) against a New Jersey construction contractor, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced last month.
Palisades Park-based Framing Specialist Inc. committed "willful, repeat and serious" violations of OSHA safety requirements at two job sites in Bergen County, an administrative law judge with OSHA's Review Commission affirmed, and must pay $45,590 in penalties, OSHA announced Feb. 23.
OSHA investigators in December 2019 found Framing Specialist Inc. committed one repeat and three serious violations at a Cliffside Park job site for failing to provide fall and eye protections and permitting unsafe ladder use, according to the report, resulting in $15,904 fine. A February 2020 investigation at a Palisades Park worksite determined the company again exposed workers to fall hazards; OSHA amended the citation from "repeat" to "willful" and increased the fine from $8,096 to $29,686. The judge upheld the charges, DOL reports.
“Falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry and exposing workers to fall hazards is an all-too-common and dangerous violation,” Richard Mendelson, OSHA Regional Administrator in New York, said in the announcement. “Framing Specialist Inc. repeatedly put its employees at risk while failing to uphold its obligation to provide a safe workplace.”
Framing Specialist Inc. has contested the decisions, DOL reports.
OSHA reports that employers are required to provide a "safe and healthful" workplace for employees under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. OSHA ensures employers meet its requirements through enforcement, training and assistance, the agency states.
“When employers ignore their safety responsibilities," Jeffrey S. Rogoff, Regional Solicitor of Labor in New York, said in the announcement, "the Department of Labor will actively pursue legal measures to protect the lives and well-being of workers."
