A Marion County contractor has been cited by federal officials for allegedly putting workers in serious - potentially fatal - danger at a Fairmont work site.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Michael Jones Contracting $46,000 for safety violations cited by OSHA inspectors at a worksite on Locust Avenue in Fairmont.
OSHA opened an inspection on Nov. 17, 2015, after an inspector observed an employee working from scaffolding with no fall protection as he did roof work; the scaffolding was also near an electrical power line. At the same time, the inspector saw other employees on a roof as high as 19 feet above ground with no fall protection. The agency issued citations for these hazards.
"Michael Jones Contracting failed to properly protect its employees at this work site, putting them in danger of a tragic fall or electrocution," said Prentice Cline, OSHA's area director in Charleston. "Every employer has a responsibility to provide employees with a safe and healthful workplace. Anything less is unacceptable."
OSHA issued the citations in late April and issued a press release on the case on Thursday.