OSHA issues $1M in fines against Paterson construction company

Joe Malinconico
·2 min read
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PATERSON — A city construction company faces more than $1 million in fines from the federal work safety agency for allegedly putting its employees at risk while they worked on a house in Franklin Lakes.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced Monday that it had issued 10 violations against Adrian Construction Group allegedly for not providing its workers with protection against falls, for using unsafe scaffolds, for not providing employees with hard hats and for not ensuring the use of eye protection.

None of those violations involved cases in which employees suffered injuries, OSHA said.

What did OSHA officials say?

The agency said Adrian Construction has been placed in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program, which targets companies that have shown “indifference” to workers’ safety, because of the “egregious nature” of the violations.

“Adrian Construction, under the ownership of Adrian Perea, continues to show a blatant disregard for the safety of their employees,” Doug Parker, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health, said in a news release. “Placing them on the list of severe violators will intensify our scrutiny of their operations.”

A man who answered the phone at Adrian Construction’s business number said the owner was on vacation and not available to comment on the OSHA violations.

Adrian Construction, which lists its business address as a house at 442 Buffalo Ave. in Paterson, was issued 12 violations at four other building sites in North Jersey between 2016 and 2021, OSHA’s records show. Most of those cases remain open. Many of the violations involved fall safety issues similar to the allegations at the Franklin Lakes site at 903 High Mountain Road.

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Previous OSHA enforcements

Here are the previous OSHA enforcements against Adrian Construction:

  • About $108,000 in fines in 2021 for work done at 7 Sunrise Terrace in Ramsey.

  • About $12,000 in fines in 2018 for work at 1085 Linwood Ave. in Ridgewood.

  • About $10,000 in fines in 2017 for work at 134 Lyon St. in Paterson.

  • About $7,000 in fines in 2016 for work at 623 Market St. in Paterson.

Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press. Email: editor@patersonpress.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Adrian Construction in Paterson NJ faces $1M in OSHA fines