APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — An Appleton contractor with a long history of exposing employees to dangerous fall hazards is facing additional penalties and fines, OSHA inspectors say.
Hector Able Hernandez, the operator of Town City Construction, now faces $349 thousand in fines after inspectors observed roofing workers at heights greater than 6 feet at risk of serious or fatal injuries at two Appleton-area jobsites in May and June 2022.
As a result, OSHA cited Hernandez for three willful and two serious safety violations for failing to provide eye, head and fall protection and train workers on fall hazards.
OSHA has cited Hernandez repeatedly for exposing employees to fall hazards and proposed $633.5 thousand in penalties for similar violations found during 16 inspections since 2004.
The previous penalties have been mostly unpaid, OSHA reports.
“Hector Able Hernandez continually puts vulnerable workers at risk by blatantly ignoring federal workplace safety laws that help protect workers from serious and sometimes fatal fall injuries,” said OSHA Area Director Robert Bonack in Appleton. “Falls are one of deadliest hazards in the construction industry, and yet Town City Construction knowingly fails to fulfill its responsibility to ensure worker safety.”
The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 1,008 construction workers died on the job in 2020, with 351 of those fatalities related to falls from elevation.
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