January 31, 2024

US Department of Labor cites Homestead drywall service employer after 22-year-old worker suffers fatal head injury at Miami Beach worksite

OSHA proposes $75K in penalties for Stucco Works Inc., identifies 12 serious violations

HOMESTEAD, FL – A Homestead drywall contractor could have prevented a hoisting incident in July 2023 by following required safety regulations, a federal workplace investigation has found. A 22-year-old worker suffered a fatal head injury following the incident.

Investigators with the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined that a scaffold pulley system failed while workers were hoisting buckets of concrete at a Stucco Works Inc. residential construction site in Miami Beach. As a result, the hoist arm of the pulley system detached from the scaffold and struck one worker across the head.

"Stucco Works' failure to make employee safety a priority led to the loss of a young worker's life," said OSHA Area Office Director Condell Eastmond in Fort Lauderdale. "Employers are required to follow the federal standards that are meant to protect workers from the hazards that caused this tragedy."

OSHA cited Stucco Works with 12 serious violations for failing to maintain a safe working environment, including:

• Subjecting workers to struck-by hazards from a pulley-hoisting device not installed per the manufacturer’s directions.
• Exposing employees to eye and skin irritation while mixing cement and performing stucco work.
• Failing to develop and use a hazard communication program.
• Failing to establish an accident prevention program, subjecting workers to fall and struck-by hazards.
• Allowing workers to use unsafe scaffolding.
• Exposing workers to struck-by hazards and falls of up to 27 feet.
• Failing to train workers who erected and worked from scaffolding, exposing workers to fall and struck-by hazards.

OSHA also found two other-than-serious violations after determining the company exposed workers to trips and fall hazards while they worked around cluttered materials and debris stored throughout the work area. The employer also failed to maintain OSHA injury and illness records.

Stucco Works was fined $74,555, an amount set by federal statute.

Stucco Works Inc. is a plastering, drywalling and stucco services employer for residential construction sites, located in Homestead. The company has been registered in Florida since 2014.

The company has contested OSHA's findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Visit OSHA's website for information on developing a workplace safety and health program. Employers can also contact the agency for information about OSHA's compliance assistance resources and for free help on complying with OSHA standards.

Media Contacts:

Erika B. Ruthman, 678-237-0630, ruthman.erika.b@dol.gov 
Eric R. Lucero, 678-237-0630, lucero.eric.r@dol.gov

Release Number:  23-2692-ATL (21)