New Jersey contractor cited for Newark Liberty International Airport hangar collapse

Catanzaro & Sons Enterprise, doing business as CATCO Demolition Services, based in  Montville, New Jersey, received a citation from the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration ’s (OSHA’s) Parsippany Area Office Site on Feb. 24, 2016, or one willful violation.

According to OSHA, it conducted an inspection Sept. 9, 2015 after United Airlines Hanger No. 14 at Newark Liberty International Airport collapsed during demolition. Inspectors determined CATCO Demolition Services deviated from an approved demolition plan and made unapproved cuts to several I-beams, weakening the structural members of the hangar as employees worked inside the hangar. OSHA cited CATCO for this hazard.

The employer has 15 business days from receipt of the citation and proposed penalty to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

“By not following the approved demolition plan, CATCO Demolition Services left its employees vulnerable to unnecessary risk,” says Kris Hoffman, director of OSHA’s Parsippany area office. “Employers must provide employees with a safe working environment; anything less than that is unacceptable.”