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Michigan Based Freight Company
Fined $109,500
The company had been cited for similar
hazards at terminals in three other states.
A Seekonk, Massachusetts,
freight terminal faces $109,500 in proposed fines from the U.S.
Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA). The company which is based in Michigan, was cited for
alleged repeat and serious violations of safety standards following
an OSHA inspection of the terminal begun October 12, 2006.
OSHA’s inspection identified
several hazards for which the company had previously been cited
at other company locations. These included fall hazards from
unguarded loading docks; lack of eye and face protection for
employees filling batteries; blocked access to an emergency eyewash
station located next to a battery charging area; no training
in fire extinguisher use and forklift operations; failing to
inspect forklifts for defects; and failure to remove defective
forklifts from service. As a result, the company was issued six
repeat citations, carrying $102,500 in proposed fines.
“These citations focus
on hazardous conditions that could result in burns, falls, crushing
and other serious injuries or even death if left uncorrected,”
said Brenda Gordon, OSHA’s area director for southeastern
Massachusetts. “The size of the fines reflects this company’s
history of violations at other sites. It’s imperative that
it effectively and expeditiously address these issues in all
of its workplaces.”
OSHA issues a repeat citation
when an employer has previously been cited for a substantially
similar hazard and that citation has become final. In this case,
the repeat citations stem from prior violations in 2005 and 2006
at company terminals in Connecticut, Illinois, and Pennsylvania.
The company also was issued
four serious citations, with $7,000 in proposed fines, for lack
of an emergency response plan; improper distribution of fire
extinguishers; improperly installed electrical wiring; and allowing
pigeon guano to accumulate on the terminal floor and other surfaces.
A serious citation is issued when death or serious physical harm
are likely to result from a hazard about which the employer knew
or should have known.
The company has 15 business
days from receipt of the citations to request and participate
in an informal conference with OSHA’s area director or to
contest them before the independent Occupational Safety and Health
Review Commission. The inspection was conducted by OSHA’s
area office in Braintree, telephone (617) 565-6924.
Source: OSHA News Release 4/12/07
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