MODERN INSTALLATIONS

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, MODERN INSTALLATIONS — a masonry contractors facility located at 1544 CENTRAL AVE., ALBANY, NY 12205 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 14 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $18,700.00. The inspection case was opened on 2008-08-14.

The volume of citations issued during this inspection suggests systematic compliance deficiencies rather than isolated incidents. Facilities with 10 or more citations typically face comprehensive abatement requirements and may be subject to follow-up inspections.

BLS Injury Data: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2022), this industry sector has an occupational injury rate of 2.8 per 100 full-time workers — 4% above the national average of 2.7. The sector fatality rate is 9.6 per 100,000 workers.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $18,700.00 is more than 5.2× the national average of $3,609.14 for facilities in the Construction sector (NAICS 238140). This sector encompasses 532,749 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $1,922.8M.

State Context: Within NY, this facility's penalty places it at the 98th percentile among 140,736 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $2,208.33.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 14 citations spanning 7 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 14 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning January 14, 2009 with the latest abatement deadline set for January 27, 2009. Of the 14 total citations, 0 (0%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $18,700.00 reflects OSHA's gravity-based penalty calculation methodology, which considers the severity of potential injury, the probability of occurrence, the employer's size, good faith, and violation history. The per-citation average of $1,335.71 falls within the standard penalty range.

The inspection of Modern Installations revealed a pervasive and systemic disregard for foundational masonry construction safety, characterized by a staggering density of Subpart L scaffold violations. The citation profile indicates a near-total collapse of the employer’s safety management system, specifically regarding vertical access and working surfaces. By incurring twelve high-gravity serious violations concurrently, the facility demonstrated that workers were exposed to catastrophic fall risks, structural instability, and electrocution hazards simultaneously. The specific clustering of violations under 1926.451—ranging from inadequate planking and lack of guardrails to improper bracing and foundation support—suggests that scaffolds were likely erected and utilized without any competent person oversight or structural integrity verification. Furthermore, the inclusion of 1926.20(b)(2) and 1926.21(b)(2) confirms that these were not isolated technical errors but a fundamental failure to implement a safety program or provide required hazard recognition training. For a masonry contractor (NAICS 238140), where scaffolding is the primary work platform, the $18,700 penalty reflected a high degree of enforcement severity for the period, signaling that OSHA viewed the site as an imminent danger environment. The absence of head protection and electrical grounding safety further illustrates a culture of non-compliance where basic life-saving interventions were ignored in favor of operational speed, placing the workforce at extreme risk of multi-story falls or blunt-force trauma.