Hastings company fined for OSHA violations in January construction death

A Hastings company, whose worker fell to his death in a January construction accident, was fined by the federal government for safety violations.

A spokesperson for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) told Local4 that M&M Industrial Construction was ordered to pay a $17,000 fine for a total of six safety violations that OSHA said led to the man's death.

Rafael Ayala Orozco, of Grand Island, died January 26th, 2018, when he fell about 60 feet from a platform at the site of the CPI fertilizer plant near Highway Six and Showboat Road in southeast Hastings. An OSHA investigation determined that Orozco was not using fall protection at the time.

OSHA said that M&M Industrial violated six federal safety codes covering use of aerial lifts, use of hoists and rigging, training and fall protection. OSHA imposed fines for each violation totaling $17,000.

The OSHA spokesperson also said M&M Industrial has since taken steps to comply with federal regulations to increase worker safety. The spokesman also said that M&M Industrial has hired a third-party consultant to do unannounced audits, the results of which would be reported to OSHA. OSHA may also conduct follow-up inspections.

OSHA said M&M Industrial had not been cited for safety violations prior to the January incident and that the company had complied with all reporting requirements related to the fatal accident.