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OSHA probes worker's death
By LINDA GIBSON
© St. Petersburg Times, TAMPA -- The federal agency in charge of worker safety is investigating the death of a 27-year-old laborer who fell off scaffolding at the International Plaza construction site. Christopher Gene Price of Treasure Island died July 29 at St. Joseph's Hospital after five days in a coma, said his mother, Patricia Lee Downs. He was working alone on a 12-foot scaffold that morning, his mother said. Two co-workers found him lying unconscious on the concrete foundation about 11:20 a.m. Doctors told Downs that Price had broken bones in his face and head. He died of a heart attack without regaining consciousness, she said. Price had worked for two years for Merit Electric Co. of Largo. The company specializes in retail construction. Other local projects included the Brandon TownCenter and the Citrus Park Town Center, said Merit vice president Bud Wooten. It has about 30 employees at the International Plaza site. Price was the first Merit employee to die on the job since the company was founded 50 years ago, Wooten said Thursday. Records of the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration, which is investigating the death, show that Merit was most recently fined for violations in 1998. One involved a housekeeping violation, failing to keep walkways clear of construction debris. The other was for a stairway that was not equipped with a railing. Les Grove, acting area administrator for OSHA in Tampa, said he could not comment on an active investigation. But in general, the agency will try to determine whether Merit failed to comply with safety regulations. The 1.3-million-square-foot mall on Westshore Boulevard is scheduled to open next month.
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