OSHA Proposes Penalties in Alabama Worker Deaths

Federal labor officials have issued safety violations to a construction company after two men working on a Montgomery freeway overpass fell to their deaths.

Officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Tuesday that R.R. Dawson Bridge Co. in Bessemer didn’t provide workers near the edge of the bridge with required protection from fall hazards. Two workers fell about 90 feet from the overpass in January.

Labor officials say the company also exposed workers to fall hazards and failed to inspect employee fall protection systems before use. Labor officials have proposed $54,500 in fines for the company.

A message left with R.R. Dawson Bridge Co. was not immediately returned Tuesday.

OSHA’s Mobile area director Joseph Roesler says falls are the leading cause of fatalities in the construction industry.