Institutional and commercial facilities pose an array of threats to the health and safety of workers involved in constructing, inspecting and maintaining them. Unfortunately, those threats sometimes turn into reality, and the results become fatal.
A federal investigation recently found that a Massachusetts general contractor could have prevented an employee from suffering fatal injuries in June 2023 if the employer had followed required safety regulations and trained workers on the safe operation of heavy equipment.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found LMA Services Company LLC exposed employees to struck-by and caught-between hazards as they worked near a compact track loader doing excavation work for a new building at Brockton Hospital.
OSHA investigators discovered the track loader's bucket was elevated and being used to load and unload crushed stone on uneven ground as an employee worked beneath. During the operation, the employee suffered fatal injuries after being struck by the loader and pinned between the ground and the bucket. Further, after OSHA served subpoenas for documents and for managers to testify, the employer delayed providing injury and illness records.
OSHA issued LMA Services Co. a willful citation for failing to adequately protect its employees. The citation noted that the employer could have protected its employees by training them to follow the manufacturer's safety warnings, being aware of hazards in the work area and establishing a site-specific safety plan. OSHA also issued the company a second other-than-serious citation for its failure to provide the requested OSHA logs within the required time period. The agency assessed $142,642 in proposed penalties.
Dan Hounsell is senior editor for the facilities market. He has more than 30 years of experience writing about facilities maintenance, engineering and management.
