Maestro Construction Inc., a Bolingbrook, Illinois, construction contractor that has been cited seven times since 2020, faces $264,407 in new Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) penalties for again exposing employees doing framing work to the risk of deadly falls at two homes under construction in Hanover Park, the agency announced June 12.
OSHA inspectors observed employees of Maestro Construction working at heights of up to 20 feet without adequate fall protection. Inspectors reported that some workers put on fall protection safety gear but wore it incorrectly, rendering it useless.
The agency also learned the employer failed to certify that employees had been trained in fall hazards or the required use of personal protective equipment.
Inspectors also found damaged electrical cords in use.
They identified violations in December and February at two nearby worksites on Greenbrook Court and issued Maestro Construction two willful, two repeat, and two serious violations and one other-than-serious violation. OSHA cited Maestro Construction four times in 2023 for fall-related violations.
“Contractors like Maestro Construction that willfully ignore federal safety standards for fall protection are endangering the lives and well-being of their employees,” Jacob Scott, OSHA’s Naperville, Illinois, area office director, said in an agency statement. “Despite being cited seven times since 2020, this company continues to show a callous disregard for their employees’ safety, and we will continue to hold them accountable for their defiance of regulations.”
Last fall, OSHA announced that its construction industry fall protection standard was its most frequently cited standard for 13 straight years. In fiscal year (FY) 2023, OSHA cited 7,271 violations of 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §1926.501.