Home Economy Government Conn. contractor faces $200K in fines for New Bedford dock collapse

Conn. contractor faces $200K in fines for New Bedford dock collapse

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PBN Staff

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04/12/2024

A CONNECTICUT CONTRACTOR faces more than $200,000 in fines for its role in a dock collapse last October in New Bedford that injured two workers, the U.S. Department of Labor says.

PROVIDENCE – Federal safety inspectors are looking to fine a Connecticut contractor more than $200,000 for its responsibility in a dock collapse last October in New Bedford that injured two workers, the U.S. Department of Labor announced Friday. Inspectors with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined Mohawk Northeast Inc., of Plantsville, Conn., didn’t ensure

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PROVIDENCE – Federal safety inspectors are looking to fine a Connecticut contractor more than $200,000 for its responsibility in a dock collapse last October in New Bedford that injured two workers, the U.S. Department of Labor announced Friday. Inspectors with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined Mohawk Northeast Inc., of Plantsville, Conn., didn’t ensure the dock had the strength and structural integrity to safely support the company’s employees, the U.S. Department of Labor said in its report. Five workers plunged into the Acushnet River and injured two of them when a 200-foot section of the pier on Hervey Tichon Avenue in New Bedford collapsed in October. “Mohawk Northeast Inc. had a responsibility to determine if the pier was structurally sound and ensure other required safeguards before placing its employees and equipment on the pier, but it chose not to do so,” said OSHA Area Director James Mulligan. “Proper planning and preparation could have prevented the pier’s collapse. While fortunate that no fatalities occurred, the company still exposed employees needlessly to potentially fatal and disabling injuries.” OSHA issued the company a willful citation and proposed assessing $161,323 in penalties. The agency also proposed an additional $53,004 in penalties for four serious violations related to potential fall, drowning and struck-by hazards posed by the employer’s failure to do the following:

Provide fall protection for employees working on the pier.
Anchor or secure a crawler crane to the barge effectively to prevent its shifting.
Provide life jackets for employees working on the pier and an adjacent barge.
Protect or mark the crane’s swing radius to prevent it from striking employees.

Mohawk Northeast, a construction contractor specializing in heavy and marine construction, as well as tugboat transportation, has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.