OSHA Cites Two Construction Companies After Employee’s Fatal Fall in Pennsylvania

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited CLF Construction Inc. and Toll Brothers Inc. for exposing employees to fall hazards after a CLF employee suffered fatal injuries in a fall at a worksite in Media, Pennsylvania.

OSHA proposed $170,560 in penalties for Philadelphia-based subcontractor CLF Construction, and $74,217 for Horsham, Pennsylvania-based general contractor Toll Brothers.

OSHA initiated an inspection on Aug. 1, 2019, after a CLF Construction Inc. employee fell 20 feet from a residential structure as he did framing work and was then hospitalized and later died. OSHA cited Toll Brothers Inc. with one repeat violation for failing to ensure that the framing subcontractor provided employees with fall protection.

OSHA cited CLF Construction Inc. for one serious violation and two willful violations for failing to provide and require the use of proper fall protection systems and not developing and implementing an accident prevention program to assist in identifying and correcting hazardous conditions during residential construction activities.

“Appropriate fall protection could have prevented this tragedy,” said OSHA Philadelphia Area Director Theresa Downs in a U.S. Department of Labor press release. “Every worker has the right to a safe workplace, and employers will be held accountable when they fail to meet this obligation.”

OSHA’s Fall Protection in Residential Construction webpage offers compliance assistance resources and videos on preventing construction hazards.

The companies have 15 business days from receipt of the citations and proposed penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor

Topics USA Workers' Compensation Pennsylvania Construction