Cal/OSHA cited Maggiora and Ghilotti Inc., a Bay Area engineering and construction company, following an investigation into a fatal accident at a Petaluma construction site in April.

28-year-old Jared Overfield from Novato was killed when a 40-foot concrete-coated steel pipe being unloaded from a forklift rolled down a slope and crushed him. He had worked for several years as a pipe layer for the San Rafael-based construction company.

The accident occurred around 7 a.m. on April 15 near Highway 101, where Overfield was working on a construction site as part of the Highway 101 widening project. The company was replacing an old water pipe. The employee was working with a forklift operator to unload and transport the new pipe down a sloping dirt road. The pipe weighed approximately 8,000 pounds and was not secured to the forklift; it was unloaded directly to the ground without any chocks or barrier to prevent it from moving. The worker was facing the pipe when it slid off the forks, rolled over him and was finally stopped by a chain link fence.

Cal/OSHA’s American Canyon office issued three citations to Maggiora and Ghilotti for failing to recognize and plan for the hazard of transporting the steel pipe, for failing to survey and plan for the hazards of uneven ground, and for not securing the pipe during transport. The three citations total $38,250.

KTVU looked into the company’s records and over the last 10 years found five Cal/OSHA inspection reports with three violations. A 2009, report showed two violations were listed as serious.

The company is involved in both public and private work construction in the Northern Bay Area since 1964.