OSHA has issued citations and penalties to a contractor for safety violations after a worker was fatally electrocuted while performing storm recovery work.
After a 44-year-old foreman was electrocuted while performing storm recovery work in Coaling, Alabama, OSHA issued citations to Dexter Fortson Associates Inc. for seven serious safety violations and one other than serious violation. The business offers utility, manufacturing, and coal mining companies power system design, installation, and maintenance services.
A recent announcement states that the corporation might be fined $84,789 for neglecting to protect employees against electrical risks. At a natural gas pump site, the incident happened when the foreman, one of three crew members, attempted to replace a faulty switch. OSHA inspectors concluded that the foreman came into contact with voltage from above power wires and that the switch was energized.
OSHA found that Dexter Fortson Associates failed to make sure employees understood and minimized electrical hazards prior to beginning work and permitted the use of electrical protection equipment that had expired. Additionally, inspectors discovered that the business failed to offer proper safety training, oversee staff, and perform necessary tool and equipment inspections.
OSHA identified a number of infractions, including the failure to remove live-line tools used for energized power line work from service for the mandatory biannual testing. Furthermore, the employer let employees work within nine inches of an activated cutout switch and neglected to ensure that the equipment was de-powered.
OSHA Area Director Joel Batiz in Birmingham, Alabama, issued a statement saying, “Electrical work is inherently dangerous, and industry employers must ensure basic safety standards are met to prevent a needless tragedy like this.” “Families, friends, and coworkers must now mourn this awful loss.”
Dexter Fortson Associates, located in Bessemer, Alabama, has 15 business days to respond to OSHA’s violations, ask for an informal conference, or challenge the agency’s conclusions.
Link to the source: https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osha/osha20241226-1