Tennessee Contractor Faces $61,000 in OSHA Fines After Crane Collapse

Contractor cited with willful, serious and other safety violations after damaged wire rope caused the crane to collapsed while replacing the Highway 109 bridge over the Cumberland River

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The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Tennessee contractor Mountain States Contractors LLC for willful, serious and other-than-serious safety violations after a crane collapsed in May during the replacement of the Highway 109 bridge over the Cumberland River. The crane's main boom cable broke, causing the crane to collapse. Penalties total $60,900.

The willful violation, with $56,000 in penalties, involves the employer failing to remove a damaged wire, rope cable from operation. A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law's requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health.

OSHA Crane Safety QuickCard

The serious safety violation, with $4,900 in penalties, involves failing to ensure that a deficiency noted on the annual inspection was checked on a monthly basis. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

The other-than-serious violation, with no monetary penalties, involves failing to ensure workers wearing N95 respirators were provided training that included the information in Appendix D of the respiratory protection standard. An other-than-serious violation is one that has a direct relationship to job safety and health, but probably would not cause death or serious physical harm.

Mountain States Contractors LLC, a general contractor in Nashville, Tenn., has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director in Nashville, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report 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 Nashville office at 615-232-3803.

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