U.S. Labor Department's OSHA Fines North Reading, Mass., Contractor Following Electrical Accident at Kingston Jobsite

Revoli Construction Company Inc. of North Reading, Mass., faces $49,000 in proposed fines from the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) following an OSHA inspection prompted by an accident at a Kingston, Mass., worksite.

On Aug. 21, an excavator operated by Revoli Construction struck an overhead energized power line with its boom while it was attempting to lift its bucket. The electrical current passed through the boom and down to the ground where it traveled outward and shocked a nearby police officer.

OSHA's inspection found that the excavator was operated too close to the power line. OSHA standards require that machinery be located and operated a minimum distance of 10 feet from an energized power line unless the line has first been deenergized or otherwise shielded from contact. Failure to do so places employees at risk from electrocution.

"Neither safeguard was utilized even though this employer knows what steps must be taken to protect workers against electrocution," said Brenda Gordon, OSHA's area director for southeastern Massachusetts. "While it's fortunate that no one was killed and no one else injured, this accident should never have occurred in the first place."

As a result, OSHA cited Revoli Construction for one alleged willful violation of safety standards and has proposed a fine of $49,000 for that citation. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with an intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and regulations.