January 10, 2007 10:37 AM CST

Conn. Masonry Contractor Fined $220,000 by OSHA

By Masonry

According to a Dec. 21, 2006 news release from the U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Dab Masonry LLC, a Plainville, Conn.-based masonry contractor, has been cited for 15 alleged "willful, repeat and serious violations of safety standards" during the construction of a local pharmacy. OSHA has proposed a total of $220,000 in fines for numerous scaffolding and fall hazards.

"Virtually every hazard identified during this inspection exposed employees to potentially fatal or disabling falls," said C. William Freeman, III, OSHA's area director in Hartford, Conn. "The large fines proposed here reflect the seriousness of the cited conditions, employer knowledge of hazards and this employer's history of prior violations."

Freeman noted that detailed information on identifying and preventing scaffold hazards, including an interactive scaffolding e-tool, is available online at www.osha.gov/SLTC/scaffolding/index.html.

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