Had his employer taken the necessary steps to fully protect him, a 32-year-old construction worker might not have suffered deadly injuries in a fall at a Naples, Fla. building site on Sept. 26, 2015.
Selvin Velasquez, a residential framer, was working at a new residence at Marbella Isles on Monticello Boulevard when he lost his balance and fell from 19 feet to the ground below. Velasquez was transported to a hospital where he later succumbed.
In its investigation, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined that SB Framing Services Inc. failed to ensure a fall protection system was in use. The agency cited the Naples-based company with one willful and one serious violation.
“This tragedy was preventable,” said Condell Eastmond, director of OSHA’s Fort Lauderdale Area Office. “SB Framing Services was warned previously by a third-party, as recent as the day before this incident, that the workers on the roof had no fall protection and needed to be secured safely. The company’s owner ignored the warning and took no action to protect its workers.”
OSHA issued one willful citation, related to the fatality, for allowing employees to work from heights up to 19.5 feet without fall protection. SB Framing Services’ failure to provide workers with a training program on workplace safety resulted in a serious violation. Proposed penalties total $53,900.
Author Kori Shafer-Stack, Editor, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. is an expert in post-injury response procedures and part of the Amaxx team helping companies reduce their workers compensation costs by 20% to 50%. www.reduceyourworkerscomp.com. Contact: kstack@reduceyourworkerscomp.com.
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