Region 4 News Release: 11-600-ATL (192)
May 2, 2011
Contact: Michael D'Aquino Michael Wald
Phone: 404-562-2076 404-562-2078
Email: d'aquino.michael@dol.gov wald.michael@dol.gov

US Department of Labor's OSHA cites Georgia masonry company
with 13 safety violations, proposes $51,300 in penalties

Lilburn, Ga. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Marietta-based WLC Masonry Inc. with 13 serious safety violations after an OSHA investigator observed that workers building a brick sign and display were exposed to fall and scaffolding hazards at a work site on Lawrenceville Highway in Lilburn. Proposed penalties total $51,300.

"Even on smaller jobs such as this one, employee safety must be a priority," said William Fulcher, director of OSHA's Atlanta-East Area Office. "There is no reason to endanger workers when an employer can take basic precautions that could make all the difference between serious injury and workers going home safely."

An OSHA investigation found employees permitted to work on a level that lacked full decking, spaces between boards that were too great, a platform end that extended more than 12 inches, overlapping boards that were not nailed to prevent displacement, cross braces that were not secured, employees climbing scaffold components rather than using a ladder, damaged scaffold boards, uncovered reinforced steel, a lack of fall protection for workers more than 35 feet above the ground, a lack of employee training on scaffold safety and the fact that a competent person did not erect the scaffold. Additionally, the employer allowed workers to use cinder blocks and plywood to increase their working height, unstable work platforms that exposed them to fall hazards. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

Detailed information on scaffold hazards and safe work practices, including an interactive e-tool, is available on OSHA's website at http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/scaffolding/index.html. Detailed information about fall hazards and safeguards is also available at http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/fallprotection/construction.html.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and proposed penalties to comply, request a conference with OSHA's area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The site was inspected by OSHA's Atlanta-East Area Office, 2183 Northlake Parkway, Building 7, Suite 110, Tucker, Ga. 30084; telephone 770-493-6644. To report workplace incidents, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742).

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

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U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The information above is available in large print, Braille, audio tape or disc from the COAST office upon request by calling 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755.