Dallas area construction worker dies after 36 foot fall!

2009-06-16 04:13:45 (GMT) (JusticeNewsFlash.com - Construction Accidents, Justice News Flash)

OSHA fines Texas construction company after worker falls and dies at site

Sills-Swindell construction worker fell 36 feet and died at Richardson worksite.

Dallas, TX (JusticeNewsFlash.com)—Sills-Swindell Inc., a Cedar Hill, Texas-based company was cited by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) http://www.osha.gov/ for violations originating from a fatal accident at one of the company’s worksites located in Richardson, Texas. OSHA investigators claim Sills-Swindell failed to protect employees who were working on elevated platforms.

A Sills-Swindell worker fell from an unstable lift truck while trying to unload materials from a box while elevated. The unstable lift truck caused the Sills-Swindell worker to fall 36 feet and die as a result of his injuries. Federal and state regulators, with OSHA’s Dallas area office, conducted an inspection at a Sills-Swindell worksite located at 1821 North Greenville Ave., in Richardson, the location where the fatal accident occurred. The OSHA inspection, conducted on Nov. 26, 2008, found two deliberate violations at the construction site. According to OSHA reports, company managers and foremen allegedly failed to follow manufacturers recommendations for loading equipment on and off a lift truck. They also neglected to provide fall protection to employees working on scaffolds more than 10 feet above a lower level.

The state labor investigation by OSHA assessed a repeat violation for failing to provide employees with required training to operate industrial power equipment. According to OSHA guidelines, a repeat violation can be defined as, a violation that previously was cited and then after a repeat inspection, a substantially similar violation is found by regulators. The penalties total $60,000.

Media Contact: Dallas Construction Accident Lawyer Brian A. Eberstein
Practice areas: Worksite Injury Claims
Brian Eberstein. Eberstein & Witherite, LLP. 3100 Monticello Avenue, Suite 500. Dallas, TX 75205 Toll Free: (888) 407-6669