An interior contractor company in Houston has been fined a total of $112,000 in a fatal workplace accident last year.
The victim was an employee of OS Interior Systems. On the 14th of August, he was working at a site, and was engaged in removing a wall unit. He accidentally came into contact with a live wire, and was electrocuted.
The company has been cited for two willful violations. A willful violation is one that is committed with intentional disregard of OSHA requirements. These violations include failure to protect its workers from live electrical circuitry, and failure to warn workers of the risks of working around electrical systems. OS Interior Systems must comply, or contest the penalties and citations within 15 working days.
Part of providing a safe working environment is training workers to perform their jobs properly. Unfortunately, as Houston industrial accident lawyers see, many accidents occur during lockout and tag out periods, and this can be avoided if workers are mandated to undergo in-depth training to perform these activities safely.
Electrical accidents are some of the most common at the workplace, and don’t even necessarily involve electricians.
- Workers may be at danger from live wires.
- Defective power tools that have loose or exposed wires could also pose an electrocution hazard.
- Overhead and underground power lines are another major source of electrical accidents, killing dozens of workers every year. Tower crane operators for instance, are at a high risk of contact with a live overhead wire.
Unfortunately, training workers means investing in time, which equals money for most employers. It makes far more financial sense to send a worker out to do a job with the barest minimum training, even if it means placing his life at risk.
Houston personal injury lawyer Vuk Vujasinovic is a Board Certified Trial Lawyer representing victims of auto/truck/motorcycle accidents, industrial and workplace accidents, maritime injuries, and defective products in Houston, Texas, as well as throughout Texas and the United States.
Vuk Vujasinovic is a Board Certified Houston personal injury attorney who practices Houston auto accident and other personal injury cases.
For more info on how Vuk can help you with your potential case please call him at (877) 724-7800 or fill out the contact form on the right.
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