Company Cited for OSHA Violations in Weston Project

A Canton, Mass.-based company, Barletta Heavy Division Inc., has been cited for serious and repeat violations of safety standards at the Hultman Aqueduct construction project, according to federal officials.

A press release from the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says the violations stem from an investigation, where OSHA inspectors found:

...employees working inside the aqueduct tunnel were exposed to excess noise levels and lacked hearing protection. The tunnel also lacked fire extinguishers, and employees were working in close proximity to an exposed energized electrical panel. In addition, employees were exposed to fall hazards of up to 14 feet from a lack of fall protection and from using a ladder that did not extend at least 3 feet above the upper landing service for required stability.

"Although several of these hazards were addressed during the course of our inspection, the fact remains that they should not have existed in the first place – or in the second place, in some cases," said Jeffrey A. Erskine, OSHA's area director for Middlesex and Essex counties, in the press release.

Barletta has been cited by OSHA before, in 2008, for similar issues at sites at Commonwealth Pier and Ashmont Station in Boston. 

The company faces potential fines of $52,000 for the aqueduct violations.

The Hultman Aqueduct project is scheduled be completed by 2014, according to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA).