Following up on our reminder of the June 1st 2020 deadline for MEWPs certification, OSHA has recently filed to impose fines in the neighborhood of a quarter of a million dollars against three contractors and lesser but still substantial fines against others.

While OSHA has altered how it conducts inspections due to COVID, they are still out enforcing workplace safety standards intended to keep workers from harm. In particular the risk of falls, excavation hazards, and electrocution are areas of concern since they represent the largest percentage of serious injuries on job sites.

Some examples:

Alejandro Vasquez Gallegos
Columbus, Ohio
Proposed fines: $236,642

Inspectors found workers at two separate sites without sufficient fall protection, improper use of ladders and without safety glasses.

Unnerstall Contracting Co. LLC
Pacific, Missouri
Proposed Fines: $224,459

One of Unnerstall’s employees had been injured in a trench collapse in Dec. 2019 so OSHA investigated. Investigators found that there hadn’t been sufficient protective systems and that employees were allowed to ride in & out of the trench in excavator buckets, there weren’t other adequate means of evacuating the trench and soil was piled too closely to the trench edges.

D&R Construction Inc.
Palatine, Illinois
Proposed Fines: $224,424

D&R was found in serious violation for not ensuring employees were using proper head and fall protection. They also failed to use ladders properly and didn’t train their employees on fall hazards.

Elite Construction Equipment offers training and Certification for operators, managers, and supervisors. Avoid needless fines. Our training is convenient, fast, and thorough. Those who pass the exam are given a hard-stock card with their photo as proof of certification. The cost for training and certification is $199 and includes lunch.

Please contact us directly at 562-924-0444 to arrange your training today.

(reference Biggest OSHA fines of Q2 2020 )