The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Thursday it cited a contractor after an employee fatally fell during construction work at a Hyundai electric car plant in April.
OSHA cited Geismar, Louisiana-based Eastern Constructors Inc. for one willful and one serious violation and proposed $160,724 in penalties after the workplace fatality.
The company was also placed in OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program.
The incident occurred when workers were guiding an I-beam in place atop a building at the car plant in Ellabell, Georgia. One of the employees, who was walking along the top of the building’s upper frame, lost his balance and fell, during which the structure’s sharp edge cut his safety line.
Emergency personnel attempted to save the worker, but he died at the scene after the 60-foot drop.
OSHA said the company failed to provide workers with fall arrest equipment that was appropriate for the working conditions and capable of resisting sharp edges.
The company has 15 business days to contest the citation and proposed penalties.