Contractor cited for scaffold hazards at Philadelphia work site

New Jersey construction company owner Vyacheslav Leshko is facing $191,215 in proposed penalties for exposing workers to serious scaffold hazards at a job site in Philadelphia.

U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors discovered “employees performing masonry and bricklaying while working on a scaffold that was dangerously close to power lines,” OSHA said Tuesday in a statement.

Mr. Leshko and DH Construction L.L.C. were cited for eight repeat and two serious violations for exposing workers to fall and electrical hazards, failing to train employees on scaffold hazards, failing to develop and implement an accident prevention program, and not providing employees with hard hats, according to the statement. 

“Scaffolding hazards continue to be one of OSHA’s most frequently cited violations. These well-known scaffold hazards could have been avoided if basic safety practices were implemented,” said Theresa Downs, Philadelphia-based OSHA area director, in the statement. 

A company spokesperson could not be immediately reached for comment.