Swinerton Builders: OSHA inspections and violations

Incident on Aug 15, 2022 (fatal): Employee is killed when scissor lift tips over

At 10:45 a.m. on August 15, 2022, an employee was removing wall shoring when he cut the ties supporting the wall form and the form leaned into a scissor lift he was working from. The scissor lift tipped over, and the employee fell onto the concrete slab. The employee died due to traumatic head injury.

Incident on Mar 1, 2021: Employee fractures leg when run over by pile driver

At 3:11 p.m. on March 1, 2021, Employee #1 was reaching for a toolbox that was on the PD 10 Pile Driver machine. A coworker was operating the pile driver and did not see Employee #1 on the other side of the machine reaching for the toolbox. The machine rolled over Employee #1's right leg causing an open fracture, distal tibia fracture and anterior tibial artery injury. Employee #1 was hospitalized.

Incident on Oct 20, 2020: Employee with covid-19 infection is hospitalized

An employee worked as a Pre-construction Manager in a commercial construction office building. On October 16, 2020, the employee began to experience symptoms related to COVID-19 following work. October 16, 2020 was the employee's last day of work. On October 18, 2020, the employee took a COVID-19 test and received a positive result on October 20, 2020. At 7: 00 p.m. on October 20, 2020, the employee went to the hospital, where he was admitted for treatment. The date, time and other details leading up to exposure are not indicated in the narrative, but the employer was not cited for any accident-related violations.

Incident on May 26, 2020: Employee is struck by forklift, fractures foot

At approximately 8:50 A.M. on May 26, 2020, an employee, working for a building contractor, was working on a suspended column form. The employee was working in the proximity of a forklift. The forklift operator drove into the work area of the employee and ran over the employee's foot. The employee was hospitalized and treated for a fracture to the foot.

Incident on Nov 2, 2018: Employee falls from ladder and injures head

At 12:20 a.m. on November 2, 2018, Employee #1, employed by a construction company, was working from a 10-foot A-frame stepladder and using tin snips to demolish an approximately 19 inches by 9 inches by 25 feet long HVAC duct. He was working alone and with no witnesses. His foreman found the employee face down on the ground with the ladder lying next to him. The employee was transported to the hospital, where he was admitted for treatment of blunt force traumatic head injuries.

Incident on Aug 16, 2018 (fatal): Employee falls from roof and is killed

At 6:30 a.m. on August 16, 2018, an employee was found face down after an apparent fall, on to the second floor concrete podium deck between two high-rise condominium towers under construction. It was later discovered that the employees back pack, safety vest, and hardhat, were found on the roof of the 20-floor west condominium tower. The County Medical Examiner-Corners Office has determined the cause of death was multi-system blunt force injuries and the manner of death was suicide.

Incident on Jan 28, 2015: Employee trips and fractures leg

At 1:30 p.m. on January 28, 2015 an employee was taking measurements for installing aluminum ceiling supports. The employee inadvertently tripped and fell 27 inches onto the concrete loading dock ramp. The employee suffered a fracture injury to his right lower leg.

Incident on Oct 17, 2012: Employee is injured in fall through floor opening

At approximately 6:30 a.m. on October 17, 2012, Employee #1 was instructed by hi s supervisor during an early morning meeting to remove the barricade railing on the second floor and extend the railing outwards towards the center of the build ing. This job site was at the north end of building Hilltop E. The railings were being moved in order for the stonecutter to cut a hole on the concrete floor wh ere the railing was located. The employee asked a coworker to go to the first fl oor below and put caution tape barricade on the area where the stonecutters will be cutting the floor so that no other employees would be exposed to the falling debris hazards. According to Employee #1, the supervisor did not inform him tha t there was a floor opening in that work place vicinity, nor did he inform him t o wear fall protection. The barricades railing did not go all the way around. Th e employee stated that only two sides of the floor opening were barricaded inste ad of all four sides. The employer stated that the accident scene was not distur bed and preserved until CSHO arrived. There was no evidence that two other raili ngs were installed to guard the two remaining openly exposed sides of the floor opening. Employee # 1 worked alone as he commenced to remove the railings. As he removed his first railing, he stepped into a piece of plywood that tilted on to a floor opening. A grey plastic sheet that concealed the floor opening covered the floor opening. Employee #1 slid on the plywood and fell through the floor op ening breaking the grey plastic and falling to the first floor approximately 15 to 20-ft below. The employee was transported to an area hospital, where he was t reated for multiple head and body fractures. Employee #1 remains hospitalized.

Incident on Dec 28, 2001: Employee injured when vehicle struck lift basket

At 7:05 a.m. on December 28, 2001, Employee #1 was working as a laborer and carp enter for Swinerton Builders, moving an aerial lift from the parking lane on Gea ry Street onto the jobsite at the main lobby. While Employee #1 was off-loading the aerial lift from the trailer onto the job site, a taxicab which was heading west on Geary Street, and speeding with no headlights on, according to the witne sses, passed by the flagman and struck the lift at the cage or basket. Employee #1 was not wearing body belt or harness with lanyard, and had not secured himsel f to the basket. After the cab struck the lift, Employee #1 was launched into th e air for approximately 130 feet. There was no harness and lanyard in the basket at the time of accident. Employee #1 suffered a minor contusion injury and was not hospitalized.

Incident on Aug 23, 2001: Employee fell into the excavation site and broke left arm

On August 23, 2001, Employee #1 of Swinerton Builders was assigned to remove a w ooden access bridge that was placed over an excavation that was over 10 ft in de pth. The excavation was not otherwise guarded. Employee #1 had removed all guard rails from the bridge and most of the plywood surfaces. He had one 2-ft section of plywood left to remove and then the support beams. As he was removing the la st plywood section, the bridge shifted and the beams fell into the excavation, a long with Employee #1. Employee #1 had been standing on the land side of the bri dge, at the edge of the excavation and was not using any form of fall protection . Employee #1 had numerous fractures to his left arm and was hospitalized for 4 days.