Walsh Construction Co. is facing a $10,000 fine from the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration after a worker died in early May following an accident on its downstate bridge project site.
Chetrice Mosley, a spokeswoman for the Indiana Department of Labor, said the company had an informal hearing last week and filed a notice to contest the safety order. The matter will now be presented to the Indiana Board of Safety Review.
Walsh Construction is the contractor of the Milton-Madison Bridge Project, which is a project to rebuild the deteriorating Ohio River bridge that connects Milton, Ky., and Madison, Ind. WDRB-TV of Louisville, Ky., reported that 50-year-old Roger Cox suffered injuries April 30 after being pinned between a steel bridge beam and an aerial lift bucket and died days later.
Representatives at the Walsh Construction regional safety office in Crown Point and at the Chicago corporate office couldn't provide immediate comment about the IOSHA investigation when reached Monday.
The state's workplace safety agency sent a safety order and notification of penalties July 20 to Walsh Construction. The investigation was conducted between May 2 and June 29.
IOSHA said Walsh Construction didn't provide adequate training since its employee wasn't familiar with the use and limitations of the aerial lift and didn't make sure each employee doing work involving scaffolding knew how to control or minimize hazards while working. In its safety order, IOSHA said the company corrected the violations, which were classified as serious.
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