HOUSTON – A masonry company named by federal investigators Monday, as being "involved" but not necessarily at fault in last Friday's scaffolding collapse in downtown Houston, has a history of worker safety violations, according to OSHA.
"At present, I can confirm that the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been investigating the scaffolding collapse incident that occurred Friday, Oct. 16 at 500 Crawford, Houston, Texas, involving Triple S Masonry and Finger Companies Inc.," Juan Rodriguez, Deputy Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Labor said via email.
A company, based in the Austin area, called Triple S Masonry appears in an OSHA database of previous worker safety violations.
A 2011 investigation found fault with Triple S Masonry's scaffolding safety.
The regulations cited included the following:
"For all scaffolds not otherwise specified in paragraphs (g)(1)(i) through (g)(1)(vi) of this section, each employee shall be protected by the use of personal fall arrest systems or guardrail systems meeting the requirements of paragraph (g)(4) of this section."
"A toeboard shall be erected along the edge of platforms more than 10 feet (3.1 m) above lower levels for a distance sufficient to protect employees below, except on float (ship) scaffolds where an edging of 3/4 x 1 1/2 inch (2 x 4 cm) wood or equivalent may be used in lieu of toeboards."
Another OSHA investigation opened earlier this year on another job site in Niederwald, not far from Austin, remains open.
Calls to Triple S Masonry in Manor, Texas, yielded a promise of a return phone call in "five minutes." Subsequent phone calls to the number resulted in hangups.
Four OSHA inspections involving The Finger Companies Inc., the general contractor and owners of the planned apartment complex at 500 Crawford, the site of Friday's mishap, did not result in fines.
The cause of Friday's accident remains under investigation, a worker at the scene earlier told Channel 2, it appeared a forklift hit the scaffolding just before it collapsed.