OSHA settles workplace death case with Moniteau County construction company
CALIFORNIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Moniteau County construction company will pay thousands of dollars to a federal agency over a worker's death last year.
Lehman Construction agreed to settle its case with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in May for 22-year-old Connor Ernst's death and injuries to three others. Ernst died in October while helping build a bridge in Clay County near Kansas City.
Scott Allen, spokesman for OSHA's regional office, said Lehman Construction settled the serious violation Friday. The settlement included a 25% reduction of the monetary penalty, which came out to a $9,023 fine.
Settlement documents obtained by ABC 17 News show that Ernst died when the falsework at the bridge collapsed while he and others were pouring concrete. OSHA blamed the falsework failure on corroded steel and incomplete welds used to build it.
OSHA records show Lehman Construction settled two other cases in 2019 and 2022.
