February 11, 2010
OSHA fines Houston company following fatal workplace accident
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined Houston company, Interior Systems Inc., following a workplace accident.
Houston, TX—O.S. Interior Systems Inc. has been cited by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) http:///www.osha.gov/ for alleged safety violations. O.S. Interior Systems Inc. was fined $112,000 following a fatality at a worksite, located at 2055 State Highway 249 in Houston, as reported by OSHA.
On August 14th, an employee was removing a demountable wall when the worker made contact with a live wire and died. O.S. Interior Systems Inc. was cited by OSHA officials for two alleged willful violations for “failing to adequately protect employees from energized electrical circuits and failing to inform employees about the hazards involved with energized electrical outlets.” OSHA’s regional administrator in Dallas states, “This employer failed to advise its employees on the locations of electrical lines… If the company had followed OSHA’s standards, it is possible this tragic accident could have been avoided.” O.S. Interior Systems Inc. has 15 working days from the day they received the citations to comply, ask the Houston North Area Director for an informal conference, or to dispute the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Employers and employees who have questions about workplace safety and health standards can contact the Houston North OSHA area office at 281-591-2438 or its Houston South Area Office at 281-286-0583. You can also call the agency’s toll-free hotline number at 1-800-321-6742 to report workplace accidents, fatalities, or situations posing imminent danger to workers.
