Masonry company fined $250,000 by Dept. of Labor for safety violations at Chicago job sites

The U.S. Department of Labor has issued a quarter-million dollar fine to a suburban masonry company for exposing workers to fall and scaffolding hazards at Chicago job sites.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has fined Polo Masonry Builders — based in Park Ridge — $252,136 after the company was cited 13 times for fall protection violations since 2010, OSHA said in a statement.

Among the violations were failures to: provide fall protection, install guardrail systems on platforms, provide safe access to scaffold work platforms, use rebar caps to protect employees from impalement hazards, document fall protection training and submit injury and illness logs, OSHA said.

In one instance, OSHA visited Polo Masonry Builders on March 19 at a worksite at 1340 W. Walton St. in Noble Square and cited the company for having inadequately supported scaffolding that lacked guardrails, according to an OSHA citation.

Polo Masonry Builders was cited by OSHA for unstable scaffolding again on Feb. 14 at 1747 W. Rosehill Dr. in Edgewater, on May 23, 2018 at 2450 N. Clybourn Ave. and on March 31, 2017 at 1000 W. Montana, according to the citation.

The company was also cited at least five times for failing to install guardrails on scaffolding that was above 19 feet high, including the instance at the Walton, Rosehill and Montana worksites.

Polo Masonry Builders could not immediately be reached for comment.