A Southington maintenance contractor faces $50,250 in federal fines for allegedly placing its utility line painters at risk of electrocution, authorities say.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Midsun Group Inc. was cited with alleged serious and willful violations of federal workplace safety standards at worksites in Naperville, Ill.
According to OSHA, the agency was notified in July that Midsun workers were exposed to potential electrocution while painting transmission poles in the Naperville area. An inspection revealed nine alleged serious and two alleged willful violations of OSHA standards, the agency said today in a press release.
OSHA’s Illinois Area Director Kathy Webb said in a statement that the agency over the years has “worked hard to combat the problem of electrocution among utility line workers.”
Midsun President Bob Vojtila said his company has done nothing wrong and will fight OSHA’s allegations.
“We’re vehemently denying just about all the charges,” Vojtila said. “We would never, ever put our guys in harm’s way.”
In business since 1992, Midsun Group has between 25 and 30 employees who maintain power transmission towers for utilities in the U.S. and abroad, he said.
One of the alleged willful violations addressed potential electrocution based on energized transmission lines that were not grounded, OSHA said. The second willful violation addressed employees working within the minimum approach distance in a bucket truck that was improperly rated for the work being conducted.
A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law’s requirements, or with plain indifference to employee safety and health.
The alleged serious violations included improper or untested personal protective equipment, training deficiencies and the lack of fall protection. An OSHA violation is serious if death or serious physical harm can result from a hazard an employer knew or should have known exists.
