OSHA Inspection: GATES BUILDERS, INC

Issued

Oct 31, 2014

Penalty

Initial $1,700 · Current $1,395 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1926.451(c)(1)(ii): Guys, ties, and/or braces were not installed  according to the scaffold manufacturer's recommendations or at the closest horizontal member to the 4:1 height and repeated vertically at locations of horizontal members every 20 feet (56.1 m) or less thereafter for scaffolds 3 feet ((0.91 m) wide or less, and every 26 feet (7.9 m) or less therafter for scaffolds greater than 3 feet (0.91m) wide:  a)  At Gulf Shores Plantation Condos:  On or about October 2, 2014 and at times prior; the employees were exposed to a fall hazard of 27 feet to the ground below while working and walking on the third and forth levels of the scaffolding system.  Ties that had been in place were taken down to apply wrap around the building and the scaffold was not secured back to the building.

Issued

Oct 31, 2014

Penalty

Initial $2,000 · Current $1,395 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1926.451(e)(1): When scaffold platforms were more than 2 feet (0.6 m) above or below a point of access, portable ladders, hook-on ladders, attachable ladders, stair towers (scaffold stairways/towers), stairway-type ladders (such as ladder stands), ramps, walkways, integral prefabricated scaffold access, or direct access from other scaffold, structure, personnel hoist, or similar surface was not used:  a) At Gulf Shores Plantation Condos Scaffold Section 8 and 9:  On or about October 2, 2014; the employer allowed his employees to climb down the sides of a four buck high scaffold exposing them to a fall hazard of 27 feet to ground below.  b) At Gulf Shores Plantation Condos Scaffold Section 7:  On or about October 2, 2014; the employer allowed his employees to climb up the sides of a scaffold to reach the fourth buck work platform exposing them to a fall hazard of 27 feet to ground below.

Issued

Oct 31, 2014

Penalty

Initial $2,800 · Current $1,395 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1926.451(f)(3): Scaffolds and scaffold components were not inspected for visible defects by a competent person before each work shift, and after any occurrence which could affect a scaffold's structural integrity:  a)  At Gulf Shores Plantation Condos:  On October 2, 2014 and at times prior; the employer failed to ensure scaffolding used by his employees was inspected by a competent person prior to employees working from scaffold exposing them to fall hazards.

Issued

Oct 31, 2014

Penalty

Initial $2,800 · Current $1,395 Reduced

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1926.451(g)(1): Employees on scaffolds more than 10 feet (3.1 m) above a lower level were not protected from falling to that lower level by fall protection established in paragraphs (g)(1)(i)-(vii) of this section:  a) At Scaffold Section 5:  On or about October 2, 2014 and at times prior; the employer exposed his employees to a fall hazard of 27 feet to ground below in that employees were allowed to work from the fourth level of a five buck scaffold without fall protection such as but no limited to guardrail system, person fall arrest systems, of safety net systems.  b) At Scaffold Section 8:  On or about October 2, 2014 and at times prior; the employer exposed his employees to a fall hazard of 27 feet to ground below in that employees were allowed to work from the fourth level of a four buck scaffold without fall protection such as but no limited to guardrail system, person fall arrest systems, of safety net systems.  c) At Scaffold Section 10:  On or about October 2, 2014 and at times prior; the employer exposed his employees to a fall hazard of 13.6 feet to ground below in that employees were allowed to work from the third level of a five buck scaffold without fall protection such as but no limited to guardrail system, person fall arrest systems, of safety net systems.  d) At Scaffold Section 4 and 5:  On or about October 2, 2014 and at times prior; the employer exposed his employees to a fall hazard of 27 feet to ground below in that employees were allowed to walk between the sections and did not have fall protection such as but no limited to guardrail system, person fall arrest systems, of safety net systems.  e) At Scaffold Section 7 and 8:  On or about October 2, 2014 and at times prior; the employer exposed his employees to a fall hazard of 27 feet to ground below in that employees were allowed to walk between the sections and did not have fall protection such as but no limited to guardrail system, person fall arrest systems, of safety net systems.

Issued

Oct 31, 2014

Penalty

Initial $0 · Current $0

General-duty citation text

29 CFR 1926.451(g)(4)(iv): Midrails were not installed at a height approximately midway between the top edge of the guardrail system and the platform surface:  a)  At Scaffold Section 5:  On or about October 2, 2014 and at times prior; the employer failed to ensure midrails were installed on the fourth buck on a scaffold platform where employees were working exposing them to a fall hazard of 27 feet to the ground below.  b)  At Scaffold Section 10:  On or about October 2, 2014 and at times prior; the employer failed to ensure midrails were installed on the third buck on a scaffold platform where employees were working exposing them to a fall hazard of 21.1 feet to the ground below.