Wireless Horizon Will Dispute OSHA Citation in Tower Fatalities

Early last week, OSHA issued two willful and four serious safety violations to Wireless Horizon after two workers were killed during the dismantling of a Kansas cell phone tower. OSHA has proposed penalties of $134,400 for the company, based in St. Peters, Missouri. Tom Raum of The Associated Press reported that Wireless Horizon will dispute the citations OSHA has imposed on them. “Wireless Horizon respectfully disagrees with the citations and we will vigorously contest them,” company president Rick Heisler said when reached for comment by Raum. “OSHA’s inspection found that the equipment the company provided the workers was in poor repair,” its statement said. “The company did not use proper engineering plans to ensure the workers were protected against this type of collapse.” OSHA said it had inspected the company on two previous occasions since 2005 and the company was issued “multiple serious violations both times.”Wireless Horizon has 15 business days to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s regional director in Wichita, Kansas, or formally contest the findings before the commission.