Companies cited over fatal workplace falls
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The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Wednesday that it cited two companies following fatal workplace falls.
OSHA cited Detyens Shipyards Inc., a North Charleston, South Carolina, ship repair and servicing company, after an employee fell 20 feet from an unguarded side of a small platform inside a fuel tank on a U.S. Navy ship in November 2023.
The agency said Detyens Shipyards “willfully” exposed workers to fall hazards by permitting them to access platform levels without adequate guardrails.
The incident marked the fourth employee fatality at Detyens Shipyards in five years, including two fatal falls, OSHA said.
The agency proposed $190,130 in penalties. Detyens Shipyards has 15 business days to contest the citation and proposed penalties.
OSHA also said it cited Hahira, Georgia-based Landmark Erecting Inc. over the November 2023 death of an employee who fell 12 feet onto a concrete slab and suffered traumatic head injuries.
The employee was installing metal roofing sheets on a building in Arcadia, Florida, at the time of the incident.
OSHA cited Landmark Erecting for one “serious” violation for failing to ensure the availability of accessible medical treatment and one “other-than-serious” violation for not reporting a work-related fatality within eight hours. The agency proposed $46,550 in penalties.
Landmark Erecting has 15 business days to contest the citation and proposed penalties.
