Local News in Brief : Firm Fined Over Death
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A Glendale scaffolding company has been fined $2,500 and its president ordered to follow elaborate safety procedures after the firm entered a plea of no contest to a charge of criminal negligence in the electrocution of a contractor in April.
As part of a negotiated plea, Los Angeles Municipal Judge D. Joseph Spada dismissed four criminal charges against Steven Phetteplace, 42, president of Atlas Scaffold Corp., but fined the company and placed it on three years’ probation for operating an unsafe workplace by erecting a scaffold too close to a power line.
Assistant City Atty. Vanessa Place said Phetteplace was also ordered to inspect every job site, write memorandums on hazards and safety procedures for each job and conduct safety meetings in Spanish and English for all employees using the company’s scaffolding.
The case stemmed from the April 6 death of Jose Osmin Argueta, 32, a water-blasting contractor electrocuted when he walked into a 4,800-volt power line while working on an Atlas scaffold.
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