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The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Keystone Stucco Inc. of Olathe, Kan., for two alleged “repeat” and one “serious” violation of workplace-safety standards.
The company faces a total of $147,000 in penalties following a December 2010 inspection in which employees were observed working from scaffolding without proper fall protection.
OSHA said the company's two “repeat” violations are similar to others for which the company was previously cited for: a lack of safe access and egress to a scaffold structure and failure to protect employees from falls when working at heights from a scaffold structure.
A repeat violation is issued when an employer previously has been cited for the same or a similar violation of a standard, regulation, rule, or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last five years.
The serious violation addresses hazards associated with improper use of a portable ladder and a failure to adequately train personnel in ladder use.
A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.
“There is no excuse for employees to be exposed to such hazards. Scaffold accidents are a leading cause of construction-related injuries and fatalities,” said Charles Adkins, OSHA’s regional administrator in Kansas City, Mo. “It is imperative that employers take the necessary steps to eliminate hazards and provide a safe working environment for all of their employees.”
Keystone Stucco has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director in Kansas City, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
According to its website, Keystone Stucco offers commercial masonry contracting services for stucco, brick and stone work in the Kansas City metro area.
Information about fall hazards and safeguards is available on OSHA's website.
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