OSHA finds S&D Erectors liable in crane death

S&D Erectors, Farmersville, Texas, overloaded the crane it was using to construct a metal building, according to an investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The crane collapsed, killing a 23-year-old worker in March 2023.

OSHA determined the company exposed its employees to struck-by hazards by overloading the crane beyond its weight limitations and has proposed $262,977 in fines.

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OSHA cited the company for four willful violations related to:

• Not using temporary alternative measures when the load and radius cell did not work.
• Operating a mobile crane in excess of its rated capacity.
• Requiring the crane operator to operate the crane in a manner that exceeded its rated capacity.

OSHA also cited S&D Erectors for 11 serious violations for its failures to:

• Create and employ an accident prevention program.
• Perform frequent and regular inspections of the work site.
• Meet federal safety standards for crane inspections, wire rope inspections and other hazards.

“S&D Erectors disregarded the safety of their employees, and one worker suffered the deadly consequences of the company’s failures,” said Timothy Minor, OSHA area director, in Fort Worth, Texas, in a statement. “By willfully ignoring required safety standards for operating a crane, a young worker’s family, friends and co-workers must cope with a void from his loss that can never be filled.”

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Based in Farmersville, S&D Erectors Inc. has specialized in commercial structural steel erection and incorporated 2007. The company employs about 67 people.

Source: OSHA