3 Deaths in 8 Years - Subcontractor on Washington Bridge Demo Fined for Safety Violations
GoLocalProv News Team
3 Deaths in 8 Years - Subcontractor on Washington Bridge Demo Fined for Safety Violations
And during the past eight years, three J.R. Vinagro workers have died on worksites, according to federal safety documents.
J.R. Vinagro is the subcontractor to the lead contractor — Aetna Bridge — who was awarded the demolition contract for nearly $100 million on the westbound side of the Washington Bridge.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTOn Saturday, GoLocal published photos and a video of the Washington Bridge demolition showing that demo material dumped on two barges and caused one of the barges to be submerged and another barge to be listing in the Seekonk River.
GoLocal asked Aetna Bridge if they were aware of J.R. Vinagro's safety violations, but the company did not respond.
J.R. Vinagro Safety Record - Three Deaths
Three J.R. Vinagro workers have died in recent years in separate incidents, one of which took place in Massachusetts and two others in Rhode Island.
And, there were other safety violations by J.R. Vinagro, according to safety organizations.
2019 Death
In 2019, a worker died, and another was injured at a work site in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Vinagro was a subcontractor to SPS.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, “At 9:15 a.m. on November 27, 2019, an employee was working from an aerial platform while connecting a brace from an old bridge to a new one. The employee fell from the platform and fractured his skull, killing himself.”
In 2021, OSHA posted that the issue was closed, J.R. Vinagro was fined more than $31,000.
In 2022, another J.R. Vinagro employee died at a work site in Tiverton, Rhode Island. OSHA’s investigator wrote in part in the conclusion of his report:
CONCLUSION
On October 7, 2022, at approximately 8:30 a.m., Selvin Ovando-Gamez, a 29-year-old laborer with over four years of mining experience, died when he entered an air separator and was engulfed by material.
The accident occurred because J R Vinagro did not: 1) ensure the laborer wore a safety belt and line and a person, similarly equipped, was available to tend the safety line and that the supply and discharge equipment was locked out; and 2) provide task training for clearing blockages from the air separator.
2016 Death
In an early incident that occurred in January 2016, a 22-year-old man was killed in an industrial accident in Johnston, Rhode Island.
According to police at the time, Darwin Perez was working with a belt-driven rock sorting and crushing machine at J.R. Vinagro Corp. on Plainfield Pike when something went wrong, and he was killed.
The company issued the following statement to the media at the time:
"Our entire company is devastated by today's event. During this time of great loss, our deepest condolences are with our team member, his family and friends. The safety of our team members is always our number one priority, and we are cooperating fully with local and federal agencies with the investigation of this tragedy," a statement from Vinagro said.
According to the OSHA’s investigator summary:
“At 8:15 a.m. on January 26, 2016, an employee was discovered under a conveyor system with a claw hammer nearby. The employee became caught within the in-turning rollers that drive the conveyor belt, and was partially pulled through. The employee's right arm was pulled between the rollers, and his head was partially crushed in the process. The rollers were approximately five inches in length, approximately 18-20 inches in diameter and covered with a thick rubber blanket for gripping purposes.
The employee had free unobstructed access to the rollers because there were no guards or engineering controls to prevent employees from entering this area of the conveyor system. The employee sustained fatal crushing injuries to his right hand, wrist, forearm shoulder and head. The employee also sustained crushing/fracture type injuries to his legs, feet and upper torso.”
OSHA fined J.R. Vinagro for this incident too.
Asbestos Violation — Another Fine
In February of 2022, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) announced it had assessed J.R. Vinagro a $12,000 penalty for violations of asbestos regulations that occurred as part of the demolition work it conducted at the site of a fire-damaged home on Sandwich Road in Bourne.
In October of 2019, concerns were raised about the potential for asbestos-containing materials being disturbed during the demolition of the home. MassDEP inspected the site and observed suspect asbestos-containing floor tile, linoleum, plaster, gypsum wallboard and joint compound, window glazing compound and roofing materials comingled with the general demolition debris. MassDEP also observed that these materials were being bulk-loaded into an open-top trailer on the site. Subsequent testing of some of the materials determined that the floor tiles, linoleum, and window glazing compound materials contained between 1 and 10 percent asbestos. Under state regulations, the company was required to abate any asbestos materials before the demolition and were not allowed to bulk-load those materials without the approval of MassDEP.
Under the terms of the settlement agreement, the company will pay the penalty and must ensure that it performs all asbestos abatements in compliance with state regulations.
“Construction and demolition companies must follow all abatement regulations when asbestos-containing materials are discovered before and during demolition and construction activities,” said Millie Garcia-Serrano, Director of MassDEP’s Southeast Regional Office in Lakeville. “Asbestos is a known carcinogen and following the required work practices is imperative to protect both workers and the public. As this settlement demonstrates, failure to follow the asbestos regulations will result in significant penalties.”
Violation Tracker reports that J.R. Vinagro has been fined more than $280,000.
GoLocal reached out to Joseph Vinagro, the CEO of J.R. Vinagro, but he did not respond to requests for comments.