PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — OSHA officials in Oregon slapped two companies with fines totaling $31,000 over a boom lift accident in August that killed two workers.
The incident happened as crews were cleaning up after the Pickathon Music Festival at Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley. Two workers were on the platform of a boom lift raised about 40 feet in the air when the lift tipped over and crashed to the ground.
KOIN 6 News reported in August that both workers had been roped to the boom and passed away despite CPR attempts.
The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services announced Wednesday that OSHA investigators found Pickathon and GuildWorks, which is a subcontractor of Pickathon, failed to follow safety rules. OSHA said two alarm devices on the boom lift had been disabled. One device sounds an alarm if the lift is on uneven ground and the other device stops the platform from raising if someone is pinned between an overhead obstruction and the platform’s railing.
Pickathon and GuildWorks will each have to pay $12,500. GuildWorks was fined another $6,000 for failing to follow the boom lift manufacturer’s operating and maintenance instructions.
OSHA officials said both companies have a history of not following proper safety procedures.