Connecticut solar panel firm faces fines

• OSHA proposed nearly $174,000 in fines to a Connecticut solar panel company after an installer fell more than 26 feet to his death.
• The employee of Sunrun Installation Services of Brookfield, a division of San Francisco-based Sunrun, was working as an electrical contractor on a roof.
• A co-worker who was on the roof at the time “stated that the employee was wearing a safety harness, but it was not attached to any of the fall protection lines in place on the roof,” OSHA stated. The employee was attaching the panels to roof brackets using a drill/driver, according to OSHA.
• OSHA also said that the company allegedly had employees engaged in residential construction activities 6 feet or more above lower levels were not protected by guardrail systems, safety net systems, or personal fall arrest systems, nor were employees provided with an alternative fall protection measure” required by regulations.
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Washington State updating longshoreman safety rules

• The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries is hosting a virtual stakeholder meeting on March 21, 2024, to discuss updates to the safety standards governing longshore, stevedore, and other waterfront-related operations.
• This initiative, which is being led by L&I’s Division of Occupational Safety & Health, aims to revise chapters 296-56 of the WAC, aligning it with new legislative and federal requirements.
• The updates are in response to the Substitute House Bill (SHB) 1706, passed in 2022, which mandates restroom access and lactation spaces for drayage truck operators within port and rail yard properties.
• This move, enforced jointly by L&I and the Department of Health, seeks to enhance working conditions for maritime workers.
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Georgia company fined $300,000 for fatal trench collapse

• OSHA fined Pyles Plumbing and Utility Contractors in Macon, Georgia, $308,000 for alleged safety violations after a trench collapse that killed a worker.
• The agency found that two workers were preparing to install sewer lines when the 21-foot-deep trench collapsed. They say rescuers found 20-year-old Caleb Smith face down in the water and buried in dirt.
• The agency says Pyles Plumbing and Utility Contractors did not train the workers properly and failed to use proper safety equipment and protective gear.
• They cited the company for three serious violations – with proposed fines totaling $33,876 – and two willful violations, leading to $274,249 in fines.
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Flooring company challenges OSHA fines

• A Laona, Wisconsin, company is challenging nearly $270,000 in fines resulting from an OSHA, which found four repeat, 28 serious, and six other-than-serious violations to WD Flooring LLC.
• OSHA alleges WD Flooring failed to use required lockout/tagout procedures and train workers in lockout/tagout procedures, among other violations.
• “We at WD Flooring are deeply disappointed by OSHA’s recent release of what we perceive to be unfounded and subjective assessments of our facility. We find it disheartening that such claims have been made public before experts have had the opportunity to analyze OSHA’s egregious claims thoroughly,” the company said in a statement.
• The company also said it “cannot overlook the broader context of over-regulation that is plaguing American businesses.”
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