A contracting company in Massachusetts has been fined following an incident at a former power plant in South Boston that saw an employee lose both his legs.
The incident occurred in May 2022, during demolition and asbestos abatement work on the power plant. During the work on the day, a concrete mezzanine platform collapsed onto the worker and injured two others.
The OSHA, America’s health and safety auditor, issued citations to the company, NorthStar Contracting, for three willful violations, four serious violations and one other-than-serious violation of workplace safety standards. The OSHA determined that the company had failed to ensure adequate demolition and asbestos safeguards for their employees,
The agency has proposed $691,000 in penalties to NorthStar Contracting, and Suffolk Construction, the contractor involved.
“The employers in this case exposed employees to the immediate hazard of structural collapse and the potential long-term consequences of asbestos exposure. These hazards are preventable and employers can control and eliminate them.
“Had they ensured proper planning – including engineering surveys and frequent and regular jobsite inspections, effective safety procedures, personal protective equipment and employee training – was in place, this incident and the violations that followed might have been avoided,” explained OSHA Area Director James Mulligan in Braintree, Massachusetts.