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Inadequate fall protection leads to fines

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Inadequate fall protection leads to fines

A Washington construction company faces proposed fines of $203,420 from state safety regulators for not providing proper fall protection to employees working 20 feet off the ground.

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries issued 13 violations, including three willful and five repeat serious violations, to Puyallup, Washington-based J&I Group Inc., doing business as J&I Construction.
 
The company did not provide proper fall protection to three employees working on top of a 20-foot wall, said the agency in a statement issued Wednesday. The company has been cited two times previously for the same issue, the statement said.

In addition, the company did not have a plan outlining fall hazards on a job, exposed workers to unguarded wall openings they could fall through, and allowed workers to stand on the top of a self-supporting ladder, the statement said. Other violations cited include not having railings on open-sided stairs, not ensuring employees wore hard hats where there was a danger of flying or falling objects, and not conducting walk-around safety inspections, according to the statement.

Because of the willful and repeat-serious violations, J&I Construction is considered a severe violator and is subject to follow-up inspections, the statement said.

“Seven construction workers fell to their deaths last year in our state,” said Anne Soiza, assistant director for the Department of Labor & Industries’ Division of Occupational Safety and Health. “Falls continue to be the leading cause of construction worker deaths and hospitalizations, and yet they are completely preventable by using proper fall protection and following safe work practices.”

The company has until Feb. 14 to file an appeal, an agency spokeswoman said Thursday in an email.

Representatives from J&I Construction could not immediately be reached for comment.

 

 

 

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