Federal regulators propose a Missouri drilling contractor pay nearly $15,000 in fines for safety violations which led to the death of a construction worker in Lincoln.

OSHA logo 142-year-old Michael Snider of Sedalia, Missouri was killed when struck on the head by an 80-foot piece of rebar that fell 130 feet from a crane.

Snider was working for CBS Piling Solutions of Riverside, Missouri, drilling foundation holes for a student housing project under construction near the University of Nebraska-Lincoln downtown campus when the accident occurred on June 24th.

OSHA cited CBS for three serious safety violations in the incident:  the improper rigging of the load, failing to adequately train workers, and failing to remove non-essential employees from an area using cranes.

“Deaths like this, which are entirely preventable, happen all too often in the construction industry – and they have tragic consequences not just for the workers but for their families and communities,” Jeff Funke, OSHA’s area director in Omaha, said in a written statement released by OSHA. “Employers must train workers about these hazards and ensure only qualified riggers are attaching crane loads for over-head operations.”

Co-workers came to Snider’s aid, attempting CPR to revive him. Snider died before paramedics could arrive.

Brent Martin, Nebraska Radio Network, reports