OSHA fines two Florida companies following workplace fatalities

OSHA has fined two South Florida companies for safety violations, proposing penalties of $154,800 against Aleluya Roofing Co., Miami, following a fatal construction accident, and $52,250 against Sun Terminals, Fort Lauderdale, after a fatal accident at Port Everglades.

The fatality at Aleluya occurred on Jan 25, when an employee fell from the roof of a six-story building in Miami and was impaled on the pickets of a wrought-iron fence. The worker had been on a trolley hoist that lifted up, causing the machine and the employee to fall to the street below.

OSHA fined the company $70,000 for failure to comply with the manufacturer’s operating specifications for the trolley hoist. An additional penalty of $44,000 was issued because the fire exits were closed and blocked on four separate occasions. Other citations came for failure to provide fall protection and train employees to recognize fall hazards.

At Sun, a March 25 accident resulted in the death of a longshoreman who was struck by an elevated container that pushed him, crushing his head against a steel support beam. The company was sited for 21 violations totaling $51,750, including exposing employees to being struck and crushed by an overhead cargo container; failing to train employees in proper safety procedures and failing to train supervisors in accident prevention.