March 30, 2015 – Daniels Electric Corp., an electrical contractor based in Gilford, N.H., faces $40,000 in fines after an employee was exposed to a 12-ft fall due to the lack of fall protection.

An inspector from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was driving by a worksite in Concord, N.H., in December 2014 and observed a Daniels employee without fall protection replacing a light fixture on the roof atop the Buffalo Wild Wings Restaurant. An inspection was immediately opened.

OSHA found that the employee was exposed to a 12-ft fall due to the lack of fall protection. Also, the extension ladder used to access the roof did not extend at least 3 ft beyond the roof’s edge for required stability. The employee also faced possible electric shock and burns because the circuit controlling the light had not been locked out to prevent it from becoming unintentionally energized.

As such, OSHA cited Daniels for “one willful violation of workplace safety standards for the lack of fall protection and two serious violations for the other hazards,” resulting in a $40,000 penalty.

“A fall from 12 ft can kill or disable a worker for life; so can an electric shock. While this worker was fortunate that we spotted these hazards before an injury occurred, he should never have been exposed to these hazards in the first place. Required safeguards must be used every time on every jobsite,” said Rosemarie Ohar Cole, OSHA’s New Hampshire area director.