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By Charles M. Murphy Okeechobee News
Okeechobee News The Occupation Safety and Health Administration fined a Davie fi rm $22,400 for the death of an Okeechobee construction worker, who fell 35 feet off a construction site at the City Place project in West Palm Beach in February, 2007.
The surviving members of Tomas Olivera Salinas family, filed a wrongful death lawsuit last month against Tied Right Steel, Incorporated in Palm Beach Circuit Court. The law firm of Phillip DeBerard represents the family.
Salinas was working on the upper deck of the construction site and was installing rebars, which are long metal rods that are put in place before the concrete walls are poured. A fellow worker said Salinas fell from the fourth story of what is now a parking garage and died instantly.
The plaintiff in the case, Martin Olivera Salinas, the victim"s younger brother, al so worked for the firm, and was at the construction site on the date of the accident.
West Palm Beach Police Spokesperson Ted White said Salinas was tied to the building but the force of his fall apparently pulled him loose. He landed face down on the pavement and steel rebar crashed on top of him.
OSHA offi cials cited the company for five serious violations. The OSHA report stated the firm did not have employees regularly and frequently inspect the structural steel frame prior to two employees being directed to use the frame as an anchor against falls, and exposed employees to the hazard of falling and being crushed. The fine for that violation was $5,600.
OSHA also cited the firm for failure to instruct employees about the hazards associated with reinforcing steel bar while a structural steel frame for a column is being lowered by two workers. The fine for this violation was $5,600.
The company was also cited for failure to provide a training program to instruct workers about the proper safety procedures to use when erecting, maintaining, disassembling, and inspecting an anchorage for attachment of a personal fall arrest system. The fine for this violation was $5,600.
Another violation found the structural steel frame used as an anchor for the employee was not capable of supporting at least 5,000 pounds per employee while two workers lowered the frame. The fine for this violation was $5,600.
The final violation found the structural steel frame for a column was not adequately supported to prevent from overturning while two employees climbed on the frame. The fine for this violation was $5,600.
OSHA officials said the employee was not trained to recognize the hazards associated with reinforcing steel bar and relate work.
OSHA records said the comÂpany paid $8,400 in fines in this case back in February and June, 2008.
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