ConDig (07-Dec–21).  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has fined a Queens, New York, contractor $374,603 for failure to provide and ensure the use of effective fall protection safeguards.

The agency said Richmond Construction Inc. failed to provide and require the use of all required safeguards related to fall protection. Investigators also found that the company failed to train its workers to recognize and avoid fall hazards.

OSHA cited Richmond Construction for nine willful, repeat and serious violations of workplace safety standards.

The investigation came after a worker engaged in demolishing a building at 1045 Flatbush Ave. fell from the roof to the building’s interior. OSHA determined that safety measures would have prevented the death of the worker who fell about 60 feet from the roof during demolition of the building in Brooklyn.

“Richmond Construction Inc. ignored its legal responsibility to protect workers from falls and the result was the loss of a worker’s life,” said OSHA area director Kay Gee in New York City. “Complying with OSHA standards is not optional. It is required to ensure workers return home unharmed at the end of the day.”

The company has 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.

In August, OSHA fined a Millersburg, Ohio-based contractor and its owner $136,453 for exposing workers to deadly fall hazards for the sixth time in three years.

The agency said inspectors observed roofers employed by JMH Roofing LLC working up to 24 feet off the ground on a worksite in April.