Utility contractor cited after worker's crane death

An Arkansas utility contractor has been cited and is facing $46,200 in proposed penalties from federal health and safety regulators after a crane failure killed an employee in March.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Van Buren, Arkansas-based B C Main Construction Inc., doing business as MAIN, for 13 serious violations after a truck-mounted crane boom broke free and crushed an employee, killing him instantly, according to an agency news release issued on Tuesday.

The serious violations include not ensuring a qualified person inspected repaired equipment to ensure the repair met the manufacturer’s criteria and making modifications or additions unapproved by the manufacturer that affected the safe operation of the equipment, among other violations, according to the release.

“B C Main Construction has a responsibility to ensure its employees are trained in all aspects of their duties and that the equipment they operate meets all safety standards,” Carlos Reynolds, OSHA’s area director in Little Rock, Arkansas, said in a statement. “If the law had been followed, a man’s life would not have been taken cruelly, and his family would have been spared their grief.”

A woman who identified herself as the business owner and manager, but declined to provide her name, said the employer was appealing the citations and proposed fines before declining further comment.