A federal administrative law judge has determined that Greg Beeche Logistics, a scaffold installation company based in Waterford, New York, exposed employees to potential falls by erecting and using scaffolds that failed to meet federal workplace safety standards.
The action follows an investigation by the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration during which inspectors found employees working on two-point suspension scaffolds at a work site in Boston’s Post Office Square in April 2021. Federal safety standards require such scaffolds to be equipped with additional independent support lines and automatic locking devices to stop the scaffold’s fall if one or both suspension ropes fail. OSHA discovered that the swing stage scaffolds being used by the company had no additional independent support lines, which created potentially deadly fall hazards.
OSHA issued the company a serious citation, which the company chose to contest before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Administrative Law Judge William Coleman affirmed the citation in December 2024 and assessed a $6,000 penalty. View the judge’s decision.
“The employer argued that OSHA should have allowed the company to use the non-compliant scaffold,” said Regional Solicitor of Labor Maia Fisher in Boston. “All employers, including this one, however, must comply with the law. When an employer fails to do so, the U.S. Department of Labor will seek to hold it accountable.”
Greg Beeche Logistics provides Work Access systems and support services for a wide range of construction and maintenance projects. The company has appealed the decision.
OSHA’s stop falls website offers safety information and video presentations in English and Spanish to teach workers about fall hazards and proper safety procedures. The agency also offers compliance assistance resources on Protecting Roofing Workers and recommendations for developing a safety and health program.