Two contractors are facing fines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) after a man died when he fell from the third floor of a building he was working on. Unfortunately, this type of injury is not uncommon but it is easily preventable if the right protective measures are put into place. Construction workers are particularly vulnerable to unprotected heights, as the Bureau of Labor and Statistics says that 40 percent of construction fatalities are attributed to falls. Texas, where this accident occurred, holds the country’s highest rate of construction deaths.

Design Plastering, Inc. and Design Plastering West, LLC are two Phoenix, AZ contractors that were hired to work on an apartment building in Dallas, TX. One employee, Jorge Carrion Torres fell to his death as he was applying stucco to a balcony. The companies did not provide fall protection or even install scaffolding or guardrails at the site. His co-workers did not have employer provided personal fall protection either.

The Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA, Dr. David Michaels, said that without those protective measures in place employees who are working higher than even just six feet are susceptible to the dangers and injuries a fall would present.

Design Plastering, Inc. has been cited for this same thing seven times before.

“This senseless loss of a man’s life is the result of this employer’s failure to comply with clear OSHA safety requirements despite the fact that it had been previously cited for the same violations,” Michaels said.

The companies face eight willful citations and four serious violations for fines totaling $407,400. They did not erect guardrails or other fall prevention structures for workers who were regularly working at levels higher than six feet. Their employees did not wear helmets or eye and face protections while working.