JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A utility contractor was cited with one willful violation and 13 safety violations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration after the electrocution of a 39-year-old worker unloading a load of steel at a Westside construction site in May.
Channel 4 was told by homicide investigators at the time that the victim was on the ground helping unload the tractor-trailer while another employee was operating a crane that came in contact with three power lines, each carrying 15,000 volts of electricity.
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OSHA announced Monday it initially investigated the Normandy Boulevard site of the fatal accident, but expanded its investigation to include Callaway Contracting's main office on New Berlin Road.
Callaway, an underground utility contractor, was cited for a willful violation related to the fatality for failing to prevent the load line from contacting the energized overhead power lines. Three other willful violations involve failing to have a qualified person inspect the crane annually and exposing workers to being caught in a rotating superstructure, as well as "struck by" hazards. A willful violation is one committed with intentional knowing or voluntary disregard for the law's requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health.
Proposed penalties total $208,670. Callaway has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and proposed penalties to comply, request a conference with OSHA's area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.