A 42-year-old worker was killed on a job site on June 24 in Lincoln, Neb., after a piece of rebar that fell from a crane struck him in the head.
CBS Pilings Solutions Inc., a drilling contractor out of Riverside, Mo., was drilling foundation holes for a building under construction at the time of the worker’s death. The worker had been cleaning the area around the top of a hole when he was struck.
"Deaths like this, which are entirely preventable, happen all too often in the construction industry, and they have tragic consequences not just for the workers but for their families and communities," said Jeff Funke, OSHA's area director in Omaha.
"Employers must train workers about these hazards and ensure only qualified riggers are attaching crane loads for over-head operations."
OSHA on Oct. 14 cited CBS Pilings for three serious safety violations and proposed fines of $14,700.
The company was cited for Improper rigging of the load; not training workers in struck-by hazards associated with working around cranes and suspended loads; and not removing all non-essential employees for the fall zone during crane operations.