A man’s death at a Kroger distribution center in Forest Park was easily preventable, an Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation found Wednesday.
OSHA issued Reich Installation Services Inc. two willful and two serious safety citations following the investigation of Leonardo DeJesus' death. The company also has to pay a $121,800 fine.
The company “failed to have a competent person inspect the rail supporting a (lift) nearly 80 feet off the ground for visible defects,” officials said in a release.
DeJesus, 27, fell to his death in December 2015 working as a contractor for Reich, a Wisconsin-based company specializing in warehouse distribution systems. The company was installing an automatic racking system.
DeJesus and another employee were on a lift installing a storage system when the rollers supporting the lift came off the railing and fell 40 feet to the ground.
Both workers had on harnesses, but DeJesus’ harness came off, causing him to fall nearly four stories to his death. His co-worker was left suspended by the fall and recovered with minor injuries.
“Reich Installation’s disregard for the scaffold’s installation specifications and the lack of an inspection, after encountering problems, caused this preventable death,” acting OSHA Atlanta-West office director Keith Hass said. “Reich management was advised by a third party of proper scaffold methods and should not have put these workers at risk.”
The company has 15 business days to dispute the citations and fine.
