The United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration
has cited Rockville Construction for twenty five serious safety and health violations. These
violations come in response to an inspection of the Hockanum Mill renovations in Rockville.
These violations carry proposed penalties of $162,000.
“The numerous hazards found at this work site exposed employees to potential long-term health
hazards from lead contamination and to immediate safety hazards from falls and electrocution,”
said Warren Simpson, OSHA’s area director in Hartford. “These basic health and safety
safeguards should have been implemented before the work started. Moving forward, these
hazards need to be corrected effectively and expeditiously.”
These violations included inadequate safeguards against lead exposure from scraping lead-
containing paint; a failure to provide effective controls to reduce lead exposure levels; failure to
determine lead exposure levels or conduct biological monitoring; and failure to train employees
about lead hazards and safeguards. There was also insufficient testing for cadmium and arsenic.
Additionally, there was no written respiratory protection program, employees were not trained
on the purpose, selection, fitting, use, and limitation of respirators, and there were no medical
evaluations perfected to determine workers’ fitness to wear respirators. Rockville Construction
also lacked a hazard communication program.
The hazards uncovered span multiple areas of occupational safety and health, and further
reinforce the importance of a complete and thorough safety and health plan. OSHA auditors
can and will review your entire jobsite and safety and health plan, and if there are any hazards
unaccounted for or if your plan is incomplete, you will be fined heavily for it.
If you have any questions about this investigation or about how to properly prepare your
company for an OSHA audit, please contact us. If you have anything to add about the importance
of a coherent and complete occupational safety and health plan, please leave a comment.
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