Construction Company and Contractors Fined $229,000 in Seattle Crane Accident
A Seattle construction company and two of its subcontractors have been fined $229,000 for a crane accident that left two workers severely injured in September.
About the Crane Accident and Resulting Fine
According to the Seattle Times, the two workers were critically injured when the crane touched an overhead power line. The incident sparked an investigation, during which inspectors noted significant safety violations.
Marpac Construction bore the brunt of the fine and was ordered to pay $133,500. The fine was issued in response to six workplace-safety violations, three of which were deemed “willful.”
Spartan Concrete was ordered to pay $90,000 for five violations, two of which were deemed “willful,” and Shaffer Crane & Equipment Inc. was fined $5,700 for three serious violations.
A willful violation is one in which the offender acted in plain indifference or with intentional disregard to a hazard or rule. Serious violations are considered those in which there is a substantial probability for serious physical harm or worker death.
National Construction Accident Statistics
The following information was provided by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA):
- 4,836 workers were killed on the job in 2015. This averages to more than 93 deaths a week or more than 13 deaths every day.
- Of the 4,379 worker fatalities that occurred in private industry, 937 were associated with construction.
- The leading causes of construction-related deaths are:
- Falls
- Struck by object
- Electrocutions
- Caught-In/Between
