Construction Firm Fined by OSHA in Connection with Worker's Death

A Trumbull-based steel contractor has been charged with violations of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) workplace safety standards in connection with the Oct. 2011 death of a construction worker at the site of the new in Stamford.

As reported on , Javier Salinas, a construction worker contracted by American Building LLC, died Oct. 25 after he fell 35 feet from a roof at the Chelsea Piers facility on Blachley Road while it was under construction.
Now, according to a press release, American Building LLC faces a total of $51,700 in fines for the violations. The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations to contest the fines before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Meanwhile Salinas' family is reportedly pushing ahead with a against American Building LLC, alleging that company officials were negligent and didn’t follow proper safety procedures while installing the roof on the .

Authorities with OSHA said Salinas was not wearing the required safety harness that would have broken his fall. According to the release, an investigation by OSHA’s Bridgeport Area Office found that three of four employees on the site, including Salinas, lacked fall prevention equipment "and further were not adequately trained to recognize and avoid fall hazards."

"The safety harnesses of three of the four employees working on the roof, including the victim, were not tied off to anchorage points to prevent falls, and the fourth employee’s safety lanyard was too long to protect him against a fall," the release states.

OSHA has cited American Building with one "willful" violation for the lack of fall protection and one "serious" violation for the lack of training, according to the release.