The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is likely to propose more than $55,000 in fines for an Alpharetta-based general contractor for a series of violations at a construction site in Tifton.Inspections conducted by the federal agency found that the contractor, GanawayContracting Co. Inc. of Alpharetta committed 14 safety violations. Companies with this many safety violations often face a high level of serious workers’ compensation claims.
The inspections were focused on identifying violations that increased the risk of workers suffering fall accidents in the construction industry.Overall, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited GanawayContracting Co. Inc. for repeat violations that included worker exposure to fall hazards. These type of construction accidents often result in the most significant workers’ compensation claims due to the severe personal injuries involved. Workers’ compensation attorneys have always advocated for toughpunishments of companies which repeatedly engage in unsafe practices.
Agency inspectors found that the company allowed workers to work from heights of above 15 feet without requiring any kind of fall protection, used ladders with missing or broken parts, and used ladders that did not sufficiently extend beyond the landing surface of the roof.The company also did not require workers to wear eye protection when they were performing critical tasks, like using pneumatic nail guns and electric drills.Repeat violations are issued when a company has earlier been cited for the same violations or similar violations.In this case, GanawayContracting Co. Inc. had been cited for similar violations in Alabama as well as in Oakwood, Georgia.
The company was also cited for several serious violations.These also involved exposure of workers to dangerous fall hazards.Workers were allowed to work on a wooden platform supported by a forklift, even though the forklift manual expressly forbids the use of the forklift for this purpose.The company also failed to provide workers personal fall protection gear and failed to require workers to use protective headgear in environments where they could be injured by falling materials.Serious violations are those where there is a substantial risk of personal injury or wrongful death from a hazard, of which the employer should have been aware.
The remaining violations involved failure to produce injury and illness logbooks for 2008, 2009 and 2010.The agency is expected to propose $55,440 in fines for these violations.The company must appeal within 15 days after it receives the citations and notice of penalties, or must comply with the order.
Many of these violations are the kind that Atlanta workers’ compensation lawyers find frequently in the construction sector.Fall accidents are some of the most frequent accident hazards on a construction site.These are also the most easily preventable.Most fall accidents can be prevented by the installation of guardrails, and providing employees working beyond a specific height with appropriate fall protection gear.Sometimes, fall accidents are caused because of defective or damaged ladders and other equipment.These accidents can be prevented when employers invest in safe, sturdy and well-maintained equipment.
The Atlanta Workers’ Compensation lawyers at the Katz Personal Injury Lawyers help workers who have been injured in a workplace accident recover compensation for their injuries.If you have been injured in a workplace accident, contact an attorney at our firm for a free initial consultation.