Agency Finds Safety Issues at Planned Dealership

A federal agency issued penalties totaling $182,380 to a contractor and four subcontractors who are constructing a Paramus car dealership after citing them for safety and health violations.

Inspectors from the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration found 21 violations at the construction site of the Prestige Motors Mercedes-Benz Dealership, most notably a lack of fall protection, according to an OSHA statement released Tuesday.

The general contractor on the site is Infante Associates of Ridgewood, which was cited for three serious violations with penalties of $11,880. Subcontractor LaConti Concrete and Masonry of Brick was fined $30,100, Paino Roofing Co. of Hackensack was fined $51,480 and C. Mancini Construction Drywall and Acoustical of Lyndhurst was fined $44,820.

OSHA inspectors visited the site in November, and found several fall hazards, which are unprotected edges at least eight feet above the ground.

OSHA found five "willful" violations, which it defines as those "committed with intentional knowing or voluntary disregard for the law's requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health."

• A 12- to 36-foot fall hazard for employees performing roofing work
• A fall hazard in excess of 16 feet from a walking/working surface
• Inadequate use of a safety monitor
• A warning line not in place at all sides of the roof's surface

The agency also found eight "serious" violations, which occur "when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known."

• Fall hazards in excess of 10 and 16 feet from a walking/working surface
• A fall hazard of approximately 27 feet from a scaffold working level
• A fall hazard of approximately 16 feet for employees performing overhand bricklaying
• A lack of site housekeeping
• Scaffolding hazards
• Not maintaining the top cable of the guard rail system at its required height
• Exposed reinforcing bar
• Inappropriate use of a ladder

The companies have 15 days to mitigate the violations or contest them. Calls to Infante Associates and Prestige Motors were not returned as of post time. 

"The lack of fall protection and other workplace hazards are completely unacceptable and unnecessarily put workers in harm's way," said Lisa Levy, director of OSHA's Hasbrouck Heights Area Office, which conducted the investigation. "It is vital that these employers address all identified violations immediately to ensure a safe and healthful work environment for their employees."