Dacula Construction Company Fined Over Worker Safety

DACULA, GA -- Federal regulators have fined a Dacula construction company for not providing proper safety features for its workers.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says that on seven out of seven inspections, MMC Construction wasn't providing guardrails for workers who were elevated on scaffolds.

The most recent inspection was Friday, June 24, in Montgomery, Alabama.

The government has proposed penalties of $130,500.

"MMC Construction’s continued refusal to comply with OSHA safety standards is putting its employees in serious and potentially fatal danger," said Joseph Roesler, OSHA’s area director in Mobile, in a news release. "Falls are a leading cause of death in the construction industry. OSHA remains committed to holding employers accountable for ensuring all workers are protected."

The company did not immediately reply to a message seeking comment for this story.

The administration issued two citations to MMC for safety violations after seeing employees working on the second level of a scaffold without guardrails.

MMC did not require the use of a ladder or other means of safe access to the scaffold and failed to ensure all open sides had rails, as is required by law, the administration said.

According to the news release, MMC has had six OSHA inspections in the last five years and the agency was cited for violations of OSHA's standards for scaffold safety every time.

Based in Dacula, MMC Construction is a residential and commercial masonry contractor. The company has 10 employees.

It has 15 business days from receipt of its 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.