The U.S. Department of Labor has fined an Alabama mobile home manufacturer more than $81,000 after a worker without fall protection slipped and fell to his death last November.
The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that 62-year-old Jerry Brown was loading roof shingles for Kabco Builders in Florence, Alabama. He was on an elevated platform while straddling a two-foot gap. Brown fell about 10 feet and was pronounced dead at a local hospital, according to news reports at the time.
OSHA cited Kabco for 10 serious violations, including not ensuring that Brown was using fall protection, such as a safety harness; failing to train workers in roof hazards; failing to train workers in the safe use of forklifts; and other violations, according to an OSHA news release.
“As falls from heights continue to be the leading cause of fatalities and serious injuries in all industries, employers like Kabco Builders must know and understand the importance of fall protection standards and related training,” said OSHA Area Office Director Joel Batiz, in Birmingham. “Following these well-established safety requirements can mean the difference between an employer seeing its worker ending a shift safely or having to watch as a worker’s family, friends and co-workers grieve a needless tragedy.”
Kabco paid the penalty and agreed to take action to comply with safety standards, OSHA said.
The company was founded in 2003 and provides design, engineering and production services for manufactured housing.
Topics Workers' Compensation Alabama
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