Contractors at Texas A&M’s Kyle Field have been fined for the negligence that led to the death of a 28-year-old worker in December. Reports show that the two contractors were hit with some of the most serious violations in the construction business after a thorough investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Texas Cutting & Coring and Lindamood Demolition were both fined for willful violations in connection with the workplace accident; that means that the two companies intentionally allowed unsafe conditions — or they simply permitted them to exist through blatant indifference.
The OSHA investigation revealed that the victim was operating a skid-steer loader at the time of the accident. He was moving a concrete stub that weighed nearly a ton and a half. That stub caused the vehicle to tip over because of its bulk, sending the victim flying over a ramp wall. The victim fell four stories from a ramp at Kyle Field. He later died from his injuries at a local medical facility.
Lindamood Demolition was fined $56,000 in connection with the willful violation, while Texas Coring & Cutting was hit with a $63,000 for the same error. Additional violations also led to thousands more, as the companies were found to have ignored basic safety measures such as fall prevention and stop-logs to keep equipment from plunging into open holes. Further, Lindamood has been placed in the OSHA severe offender program, which requires additional inspections in the coming years.
There has already been a lawsuit filed on behalf of the man’s surviving family, including his mother and his two children. Those victims deserve compensation for lost wages and companionship in the wake of such a terrible accident. Such victims can help bring this type of workplace accident to light by filing lawsuits, which could have a role in preventing injury and death in the future.
Source: The Eagle, “Occupational Safety and Health Administration fines Kyle Field contractors for lax safety standards following worker’s death” Allen Reed, May. 31, 2014