Federal safety inspection finds Sun Prairie contractor again failed to protect workers from potentially deadly hazards at home sites

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Federal safety inspection finds Sun Prairie contractor again failed to protect workers from potentially deadly hazards at home sites

GL Construction of Madison employee suffered fatal injuries in 2021

VERONA, WI - A suburban Madison contractor with a history of federal safety failures - including violations that led to an employee's fatal injuries in 2022 - has again been found exposing workers to the construction industry's most deadly hazard - falls from elevation - during a federal safety inspection in February 2024.

U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administrationcompliance officers opened their inspection after observing six employees of GL Construction of Madison LLC at a Verona residential construction site doing framing work up to 12 feet off the ground without required protective equipment. Inspectors initiated their inspection under OSHA's National Emphasis Program for Falls.

The Sun Prairie company received citations for one willful, two repeat and five serious violations, and proposed $144,505 in penalties, the latest infractions for a contractor found defying federal safety regulations in inspections in each of the last four years.

In October 2023, four months prior to the latest investigation, OSHA found employees exposed to falls and other hazards at a Sun Prairie worksite and cited the company for one repeat violation and two serious violations.

The willful and repeat violations relate to similar safety failures OSHA found during its investigation into the April 2022 fatalityof a GL Construction employee struck by a more than 1,000-pound wall that tipped over as a work crew tried to use a crane to lift the structure in high winds. The incident led OSHA to cite the company for nine serious and two other-than-serious violations.

To date, GL Construction has failed to pay related federal penalties, provide abatement information or comply with terms of a settlement between OSHA and the company.

"GL Construction of Madison has repeatedly exposed its employees to potentially fatal injuries and shows a blatant and callous disregard for their safety and welfare," explained OSHA Area Director Chad Greenwood in Madison, Wisconsin. "This company must bring its workplace safety program in compliance with federal regulations immediately, as it agreed to do after an employee passed away in April 2022. Employers have no excuse for ignoring their legal and moral responsibilities and putting profit before people."

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 1,069 construction workers died on the job in 2022. Of those deaths, 395 were related to falls from elevation.

OSHA's stop falls websiteoffers safety information and video presentationsin English and Spanish to teach workers about fall hazards and proper safety procedures.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Learn more about OSHA.

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