Company facing penalties over safety hazards

Published 5:00 am Monday, June 9, 2008

A Jayess-based construction company faces $72,000 in proposedpenalties in connection with repeated safety violations at itsCovington, La., worksite, according to federal safetyofficials.

R.K. Wallace Construction, doing business as Wallace SteelErectors, was cited by the Occupational Safety and HealthAdministration over three repeat safety violations for failing toprotect workers from fall hazards at the site, according to arelease from the federal labor agency.

“OSHA’s regulations specifically state that any employee workingupwards of 15 to 30 feet, while performing steel erection, mustwear a harness,” said Dean McDaniel, OSHA’s regional administratorin Dallas. “No worksite should fail to protect employees fromhazards of falling. It is fortunate no one was injured.”

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According to the release, the violations were found during aMarch 19 inspection and subsequent investigation.

The investigation found the company failed to provide employeeswith fall hazard equipment and related training. A violationrelated to a scaffold platform was also found.

R.K. Wallace Construction has 40 employees and is based inJayess. The company has 15 days from receipt of the citations tocomply, request an informal conference with OSHA officials, orcontest the penalties before an independent OSHA review panel.