Miami Contractor Faces Fines After Worker’s Death

February 20, 2024

Florida contractor faces $75,000 in fines

  • OSHA found 14 violations and proposed nearly $75,000 in fines for a Miami-Beach-based drywall contractor after a worker died at a Miami Beach spec home construction site.
  • Stucco Works, the Homestead-based firm led by Christopher Jimenez and Miguel Jiminez, is contesting all 14 of the citations, according to a press release.
  • This follows the July death of a 22-year-old worker who died from blunt force trauma to the head in an accident at the Miami Beach work site.
  • The worker was fatally struck by a pulley system while hoisting buckets of cement to the second floor of the residential construction site at 1096 North Venetian Way.
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Push to enhance training for fire-resistant material in Washington

  • The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries’ Division of Occupational Safety and Health has a new rulemaking initiative, mandating the creation of a training and certification program for individuals applying fire-resistant materials.
  • A substitute House Bill addresses the role of specialized training in applying materials designed to prevent the spread of fire and protect structural integrity.
  • Under the proposed rule—set to be adopted by January 1, 2025—individuals working with fire-resistant materials must undergo training provided by registered apprenticeship programs, material manufacturers, or DOSH-approved training providers.
  • This rulemaking proposal emphasizes the need for rigorous training standards in high-risk areas, such as fire protection.
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Firm fined after worker suffers fatal injury

  • A federal investigation into the death of a 39-year-old maintenance employee found that the two contractors responsible for the job site could have prevented the incident by communicating and following safety rules designed to prevent the unexpected startup of machinery.
  • OSHA found that a worker employed by G & R Mineral Services Inc., a Birmingham, Alabama-based maintenance and repair contractor hired by HM Southeast Cement LLC, was performing repairs on a screw conveyor system mounted on top of a cement silo.
  • Despite the equipment being locked out and de-energized, the employer decided to remove the locks temporarily and energize the equipment to rotate the screw conveyor shaft to align the equipment for repair. As a result, the worker was caught in the conveyor and suffered fatal wounds.
  • The agency also cited HM Southeast Cement for three serious violations and proposed $43,554 in penalties to the employer.
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OSHA reporting deadline looming

  • Injury and illness data must be reported to OSHA electronically by March 2, 2024, and the agency does not send out notifications or reminders to establishments to report injury and illness data.
  • Firms must submit 300A data if the establishment has 250 or more employees and is not in an industry listed in the Exempt Industries list in Appendix A to Subpart B of OSHA’s recordkeeping regulation of 29 CFR Part 1904.
  • A 300A data must also be filed for companies 20-249 employees and is in an industry listed in Appendix A to Subpart E of 29 CFR Part 1904.
  • Firms must submit 300/301 data if their establishment(s) has 100 or more employees and is in an industry listed in Appendix B to Subpart E of 29 CFR Part 1904.
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