Aztech Electric Fined For Safety Violations
Spokane’s Aztech Electric was fined $128,500 by the state Department of Labor and Industries for willfully violating worker safety rules.
The fine comes in connection with the fatal fall of a lineman last September in Snohomish County, according to Labor and Industries officials. James Cade, 52, of Enumclaw fell to his death after the top of the utility pole he was cutting fell the wrong way and sheared off the boom of the aerial lift from which he was working.
L&I, which is required to investigate all occupational fatalities, reported that the company had eight infractions related to the electrical clearance and the exposure of workers to energized transmission lines, and that the employer failed to ensure that workers use appropriate fall protection equipment. The report also revealed a repeat-serious violation of the employer failing to develop a formal accident prevention program specific to the hazards of the work site.
Aztech Electric Inc. has 15 days to appeal the citation and fine.
, DataTimes