Atlanta Stone Counter Manufacturer Gets $135 Grand in Penalties Dropped on it
Saturday, January 30th, 2010Atlanta Intown Granite Company has been cited by Federal OSHA for continuing to expose its employees to health hazards more than a year after OSHA had cited the company for similar violations.
OSHA is proposing $133,875 in penalties against the company for exposing workers to excess amounts of silica by not fully implementing a respiratory protection program, failing to fully implement a hearing conservation program and failing to establish a written hazard communication program on exposure to hazardous substances.
Exposure to silica can lead to silicosis, a disabling, nonreversible and sometimes fatal lung disease. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reports that each year more than 250 people die from and hundreds more are disabled by silicosis.
“Silica and noise exposure remain serious hazards to employees at work, but both hazards are 100 percent preventable if employers fully implement protection programs,” said Andre Richards, director of OSHA’s Atlanta-West Area Office.
OSHA inspected this company in September 2008 and cited it with five serious violations for similar hazards. The current inspection followed up on the earlier one to determine if the hazards had been corrected.
The agency also is citing the stone countertop manufacturer with one serious safety violation and a proposed penalty of $2,000 for not equipping portable tools with machine guards.


In early February, OSHA announced a new National Emphasis Program (NEP) to target worksites where employees are at risk for developing