ConDig (04-Feb-19). The former owner of a Florida-based framing contractor has been prisoned for 30 days following the death of a worker on residential project in Naples, Florida.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) said that the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida sentenced Stalin Rene Barahona – former owner of the now-dissolved SB Framing Services Inc in Naples – after pleading guilty to one count of willfully violating federal fall protection standards. He will begin serving his sentence on February 26 this year.
It follows an OSHA investigation that started in September 2015 after an SB Framing Services’ employee fatally fell while doing construction work at a new residence in Naples.
OSHA cited the company for a willful violation for failing to ensure the use of a fall protection system and a serious violation for failing to train employees to recognize potential fall hazards.
“This enforcement action demonstrates that OSHA will utilize every resource available to ensure that safety and health standards are followed to protect employees from potential risk,” said OSHA’s regional administrator Kurt Petermeyer.
Last week, OSHA fined two Alabama contractors $88,482 for excavation violations on a residential project in Hoover, Alabama.
In December, the agency fined a Florida roofing contractor $146,280 for exposing employees to fall hazards on projects in Palm Beach Gardens and Port Saint Lucie, Florida.
OSHA fined a Florida roofing contractor $64,974 last month for exposing employees to fall hazards on a project in Royal Palm Beach, Florida. The agency said it cited Lake Worth-based Garabar Inc for allowing workers to make repairs to a roof without fall protection.
OSHA recently updated its National Emphasis Program on preventing injuries related to trenching and excavation collapses. OSHA’s trenching and excavation webpage provides additional information on trenching hazards and solutions, including a trenching operations QuickCard and a “Protect Workers in Trenches” poster.