Unsafe Scaffolding At Philly Job Site Yields Citations For Construction Company Owner

PHILADELPHIA – The owner of a construction company working on a job site in Philadelphia was cited by OSHA recently for the scaffolding it had up on the site, as it allegedly posed a danger to workers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Vyacheslav Leshko, owner of South Jersey construction company DH Construction LLC, faces nearly $200,000 in proposed fines related to the allegedly hazardous scaffolding.

According to the Department of Labor, OSHA inspectors responded on March 30 to a complaint of unsafe working conditions at a DH Construction LLC work site at 827 North 26th Street and found employees performing masonry and bricklaying while working on a scaffold that was too close to power lines.

Leshko was cited for eight repeat and two serious violations for exposing workers to fall and electrical hazards, failing to train employees on scaffold hazards, failing to develop and implement an accident prevention program, and not providing employees with hard hats, according to the Department of Labor.

In total, Leshko faces $191,215 in proposed penalties, the Department said.

"Scaffolding hazards continue to be one of OSHA’s most frequently cited violations. These well-known scaffold hazards could have been avoided if basic safety practices were implemented,” OSHA Area Director Theresa Downs in Philadelphia said in the announcement.

Leshko was also cited in 2014 for similar violations at work sites for another company he owned, T&S Masonry, according to the Department of Labor.

DH Construction LLC has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, the Department of Labor said.

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