The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has fined two contractors for exposing contractors to fall hazards after a fatal injury at the Delaware Port of Wilmington in January 2019.

Enerfab Process Solutions & Fabricated Products Inc. and Industrial Services Group Inc. face $687,619 in penalties.

“Falls continue to be the leading cause of worker fatalities in the construction industry, yet they are preventable when the proper fall protection is utilized,” said OSHA Area Director Erin Patterson. “Employers have a legal responsibility to protect workers from falls, and neither company met their obligations in this case.”

Employees were renovating a 1.5 million gallon above ground storage tank at an orange juice processing facility in Port of Wilmington when a Blastco employee fell 40 feet from a scaffold.

OSHA initiated an investigation after notification of the fatality. The Agency issued willful citations to both companies for hazards involving scaffolding and lack of fall protection; and serious citations for electrical, confined space, and respiratory protection violations. On July 16, Enerfab contested its citations.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees.