HANOVER -- Four of the companies performing work at the site of the new Hanover firehouse where two workers were killed by a five-ton generator that fell Thursday have each been cited for serious safety violations in the past seven years.
A generator being hoisted by a crane fell onto two workers when a strap gave way, Hanover Township Mayor Ronald Francioli said. A man in his 20s was pronounced dead at the scene, but a second man was taken to Morristown Medical Center in critical condition where he later died. The first worker killed in the accident was the son-in-law of the crane operator, the mayor said.
Records with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration show Precision Building and Construction, the general contractor, had two serious violations over a fall incident in Aug. 2009, which it settled for a penalty of $2,100. Precision Building and Construction is a non-union company based out of Bridgewater.
City Erectors, the West Caldwell-based operator of the crane, was issued a serious struck-by object violation in Aug. 2009 for which it paid $450, OSHA records show.
A complaint was also lodged against the company in 2007 for an alleged struck-by object incident but OSHA records don't indicate whether a penalty was assessed in that incident. City Erectors is also a non-union company.
Boz Electrical Contractors, a union company out of Vernon, was most recently cited in March 2013 for two unsafe wiring design and protection violations, for which it paid $6,500, OSHA records show. Those infractions were considered both serious and repeat violations by OSHA.
The worker who was critically injured in the accident and later died at Morristown Medical Center worked for Boz Electrical Contractors, according to OSHA.
Boz Electrical was also cited for two serious violations relating to fall and electrical hazards in connection with an incident that occurred in May 2010. The company settled those violations for $2,625.
Industrial Process and Equipment, Inc., a non-union company out of Sussex, was fined $2,100 for endangering employees by exposing them to crushing hazards in connection with an incident in Oct. 2012. IPE, Inc. is the company at which the first man to die in Thursday's accident worked.
Groundbreaking for the new firehouse took place in February 2015, and, as of a December news release, the site was expected to be complete by the spring.
Calls placed with Precision Building and Construction, City Erectors, Boz Electrical and Industrial Process and Equipment Thursday have not yet been returned.
Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.