PEORIA, IL – Federal workplace safety inspectors investigating the fatal fall of a 50-year-old journeyman electrician at Caterpillar’s Mapleton foundry have determined that the lead contractor and a nested Caterpillar electrical contractor exposed workers to fall hazards.
An OSHA inspection found that project lead contractor Illinois Crane Inc. of Peoria asked Tegco Inc. – doing business as Schaefer Electric of Peoria – failed to provide a bid to move an electrical junction box as part of a skip hoist construction project.
While the electrician and the general foreman for Illinois Crane evaluated the proposed work on Dec. 23, 2021, the electrician fell 24 feet through a floor hole and suffered a fatal injury.
OSHA determined employees were not protected from falls as required by law.
OSHA cited Illinois Crane with one willful violation for failing to protect employees on walking/working surfaces more than 6 feet above the lower level from falling through holes.
Inspectors found the company did not ensure the use of personal fall arrest systems, adequate floor hole covers, or guardrail systems.
OSHA also cited Schaefer Electric for a serious violation because it failed to inspect job sites and evaluate for hazards, and train workers to recognize fall hazards or take appropriate safety precautions to minimize danger.
The agency proposed $10,151 in penalties.
In its 2020 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in 2020, 24 workers died in Illinois as a result of falls, slips, and trips.
A total of 135 worker deaths were reported in Illinois in 2020.
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