August 9, 2016

Employer name: Liberty Master, Inc., 903 Curtis Lane, Scranton, Pennsylvania

Inspection site: 1735 Mulberry Way, Yardley, Pennsylvania

Citations issued: On July 29, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations to the construction contractor for one serious and two willful safety violations.

Investigation findings: OSHA initiated an inspection on June 29, 2016 after a compliance officer observed employees exposed to several fall hazards while working up to approximately 25 feet above ground on while building a new residence.

The agency cited Liberty Master, Inc because it allowed employees to perform residential construction work without fall protection, and allowed employees to use a stepladder improperly.

OSHA has inspected Liberty Master, Inc. five times since January 2016 and issued serious citations for fall hazards.

Quote: “Liberty Master Inc. has not provided their employees with the essential tools and safety leadership necessary to prevent serious or even fatal fall injuries,” said Jean G. Kulp, OSHA’s Allentown Area Office director. “Workers’ should never have to put their lives at stake because their employers fail to meet the most basic safety standards.”

Proposed penalties: $57,200

The citation can be viewed at: http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/LibertyMasterInc_1159586.pdf

The employer has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, request a conference with OSHA’s area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

To ask questions; obtain compliance assistance; file a complaint; or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency’s Allentown Area Office at 267-429-7542.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.