OSHA fined two contractors after a worker was fatally injured at an Amazon site in Philadelphia

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Friday that it was fining two construction firms for alleged hazards after a worker suffered fatal injuries at the site of a new Amazon facility in Philadelphia last year.

It’s the second case of a worker fatality at an Amazon facility construction site in the Philadelphia area to come under OSHA’s scrutiny — and lead to penalties for construction companies — since July. In both instances, the workers were employed by contractors at the sites.

The fines and citations announced Friday stem from a July 27, 2021, incident at 700 Ramona Ave. in North Philadelphia. That’s where a 20-foot excavated wall collapsed, trapping and crushing an employee named Eric Lara, according to OSHA.

The agency has proposed a penalty of $175,480 for four alleged safety violations by Mayfield Site Contractors, a King of Prussia-based subcontractor on the project. Mayfield was Lara’s employer at the time, OSHA said.

The other firm cited in the incident, general contractor Gilbane Building Co., faces a proposed penalty of $14,502 for one alleged violation. Gilbane is headquartered in Providence, R.I., and has a Philadelphia office.

Both companies are contesting the matter, and their challenges will be heard by a separate federal agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Amazon, which is not a party in the case, did not immediately provide comment Friday.

Mayfield did not comment Friday.

A lawyer for the company told OSHA in a Feb. 15 letter that it’s “contesting all aspects of the citations” and penalties and that Mayfield’s owner was “disappointed that you were not willing to engage in substantive negotiations with us, despite the overwhelming evidence that we presented to you.”

A spokesperson for Gilbane said the incident “was tragic and occurred despite an acute focus on health and safety at the site.”

“This death is deeply felt by the entire Gilbane Building Co. family,” the spokesperson said. “Given the ongoing proceedings that are required with an incident of this nature, we cannot provide further comment at this time.”

Amazon expanded to nearly 60 warehouses in the Philadelphia region during the pandemic. The e-commerce giant identified the Ramona Avenue property last April as one of its new delivery stations opening around the city.

Several weeks before the wall collapse at Ramona Avenue, a 24-year-old worker died on July 6, after falling from a roof at a construction site for an Amazon facility in East Norriton.

OSHA’s investigation found that the employee “stepped backwards and fell approximately 24 feet through a roof opening previously covered by a metal panel,” according to agency records.

Last month two contractors settled financial penalties with OSHA in that case, records show.