OSHA has inspected Utility Plus, Inc. 2 times in Oklahoma since 2009.
The latest one began on May 8, 2020 on a referral, in Hulbert.
Those inspections ended with 4 citation items: 2 serious and 2 other-than-serious.
Penalties were first proposed at $7,241 and now stand at $6,000, 17% lower after settlements or reviews.
Personal protective equipment, general requirements comes up most often in these citations: 2 items under 1910.132.
How that compares: the median penalty per cited inspection for construction employers since 2015 is $3,078, and Utility Plus, Inc. averages $3,000 (1 cited inspection).
It reported 1 severe injury to OSHA since 2015.
Inspection 344746169 OPENED MAY 8, 2020Closed
Referral · Partial · Safety · 23 employees at the site · Closed Feb 4, 2021
Park Rd 70 (sequoyah State Park), Hulbert, OK 74441 · Power and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction · OSHA's record · Phone and website on Google Maps
Incident on May 6, 2020: Employee falls when ejected from aerial bucket and suffers f
At 9:45 a.m. on May 6, 2020, Employee #1 was working for a power/communication line installation contractor. Employee #1 was replacing an existing electrical pole when he became tangled in his lanyard. Employee #1 unhooked the lanyard from bucket, leaned forward and stepped over lanyard which caused bucket to shift. A powerline under tension while pulled round jib frame (but not secured by the jib) rolled up and off the jib frame as the bucket shifted. The powerline "like a rubber band" struck and ejected the employee from the basket. The employee fell approximately 32' to the ground suffering fractures in both feet and a broken arm. Employee #1 was hospitalized.
| Citation and rule | Type | Proposed | Current | Issued | Status |
|---|
| Citation 1, item 1a |
Other-than-serious | $4,241 | $3,000 | Aug 19, 2020 | Final |
| Citation 1, item 1b |
Other-than-serious | $0 | $0 | Aug 19, 2020 | Final |
Employers must report any work-related amputation, in-patient hospitalization or loss of an eye to OSHA within 24 hours. 1 report on file.
May 6, 2020, Hulbert: Hospitalization · fractures · upper and lower limb(s)
An employee was in a bucket replacing an existing electrical pole. The employee became entangled in his lanyard. As he was untangling his lanyard, the bucket shifted. A powerline under tension and pulled around a jib frame, rolled up and off the jib frame as the bucket shifted. The power line acted like a rubber band and struck the employee. The employee was ejected from the bucket and fell about…
Current text from the Code of Federal Regulations. Some citations were issued under older wording.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA enforcement data. A citation is OSHA's allegation; employers can contest it, and the status column shows where each item stands. Something wrong on this page? Tell us.
