OSHA has fined a Corapolis roofing company $120,000 for safety violations leading to the death of an employee who was electrocuted when his scaffold came in contact with a power line.
Zeke & Son Roofing and Siding Specialists, faces fines of up to $120,000 following the death (march 10, 2006) of Regis William of Pittsburgh.
“The accident occurred when the worker, who was working on a pump jack scaffold that had been erected within approximately four feet of energized power lines, made contact with the lines that were operating at 4,000 volts,” OSHA investigator Robert Szymanski said.
Earlier during the day, an electrical line fell on the aluminum ladder Zeke employees were using to access the scaffolding. A crew from the Duquesne Light Co. repaired the downed line and ordered Zeke & Son to remove the scaffolding because it was too close to the power line, OSHA said.
The company’s started to dismantle the scaffolding but apparently re-assembled the structure after the Duquesne Light officials left.
Williams was jolted off the scaffolding by the shock of electrocution and fell 30 feet to the ground.
Zeke & Son was cited for willfully violating OSHA’s scaffolding safety guidelines and electrical safety procedures.
The company was also cited for failure to provide fall protection for its employees.
Related article Scaffolding & Electrical Hazards
5 comments ↓
1 Kyle Smith // Sep 10, 2006 at 8:34 pm
I very much enjoyed reading through your blog. It’s informative and the design is user-friendly. I’m new to the blogging process and have some questions you may be able to answer for me. Do you have an email address that I could use in correspondence with you or the person responsible for posting the blogs or managing the site?
2 admin // Sep 11, 2006 at 8:03 am
Hi Kyle,
Please post your questions in this thread and we will try to help you if we can.
3 Victor Santacroce // Oct 10, 2006 at 1:27 pm
I worked for Zeke and Sons from Jan 1979 to Jan 2000. I was always given instruction on how to properly install equipment around electrical equipment. When it was out of our desipline Seke would always call Duquane Light Co. In the whole time I worked for Zeke and sons not one man was hurt on the job. 21 years. Zeke and Sons was in employment long before I started with them and not one of the men there before me was hurt or injured.
I think the only one to blame is the men themself. We always had safty ropes and covers for the electrical wires and used them weather we wanted or not. That was how Zeke worked. He took care of his men because his men took care of him. Robert J. Martinkovich, zeke’s son worked beside me thfu this whole time and was trained just like I was and when he took over when his fatther retired he was the same way.
4 Donald Coit Smith // Jan 24, 2007 at 6:34 pm
“Willful” violation means something happened before. The article said they reassembled the scaffolf after Duquane left… doesn’t sound good. Bottom line is that someone was in charge of this operation and somebody didn’t follow guidelines which resulted in Mr. Williams not being here with us. They should count their blessings that OSHA doesn’t have any real power, just a small fine. While Zeke and Robert are top notch guys according to comments, still someone in charge let this happen. Think about it. There was no real deterrent.
DCS
5 Victor Santacroce // Sep 15, 2009 at 9:46 am
Yes that someone was Glenn Exley and he was the forman on the job who was helping to reassemble the scaffold. scince the accedent everyone envolved has paid a price. no one want’s anyone to get hurt on the job but accedents do happen in this industry and ultamilty you are in charge of yu own safty.
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