Citations issued against Swampscott construction company

SWAMPSCOTT – An accident on a construction site last October has resulted in citations being issued against a local construction company.According to U.S. Dept. of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Spokesman John Chavez, Swampscott-based A.F. Construction received five “serious” violations and a $6,000 fine in connection with a scaffolding collapse.Three men were roofing a new house at 41 Buena Vista St., on Oct. 9 when a bracket supporting their scaffolding broke through a wall.Kevin Kuppim, 40, of Beverly; John Goslin, 32, of Gloucester; and Tim Shennett, 25, of Exeter, N.H. were transported to area hospitals where they were treated.Contact information was unavailable for A.F. Construction and owner Antonio Franco.Chavez said OSHA issued citations and notification of penalty to A.F. Construction, on Feb. 19.The company was fined $2,000 because a qualified person did not design the scaffolds, which exposed employees to the hazard of collapse. A.F. Construction was also fined $2,000 for allowing employees to walk on a surface that was more than six feet without guardrail systems or personal fall arrest systems. The company was also fined $2,000 for failure to properly train employees on fall hazards.The company was also cited for failure to inspect the scaffold for visible defects and not fully planking all working levels of the scaffold.Chavez said the company has 15 working days from the date of the decision to contest it by requesting a conference with the area director or legally contesting it.In earlier interviews, Police Chief Ronald Madigan said A.F. Construction was working as a sub-contractor to A.C. Castle Roofing, which is located in Peabody. According to a spokesman for A.C. Castle Roofing, the framers, who are not affiliated with his company, installed the brackets used to place the scaffolding on.At the time of the accident, Swampscott Building Inspector Alan Hezekiah said the wall construction where the scaffolding collapsed appears to be made of standard seven-sixteenths-inch composite wood board and there was too much weight on the scaffolding for the side of the home to support.