FleetPride Inc. Cited for Similar Hazards in 2006 and 2007
 
OSHA has cited FleetPride Inc. for alleged repeat, serious, and other-than-serious violations of health and safety standards following an inspection at its North Haven, CT distribution facility.

 The distributor of heavy-duty truck and trailer parts faces a total of $108,000 in proposed fines following an inspection conducted under OSHA’s Site Specific Targeting program, which focuses inspections on workplaces reporting higher than average injury and illness rates. The citations and fines address deficiencies involving respirators and other personal protective equipment, fall protection, electrical safety, exit access, powered industrial trucks, hazard communication, and recordkeeping.

“The sizable fines proposed here reflect the recurring nature of several hazards for which the company previously had been cited,” said Robert Kowalski, OSHA’s area director in Bridgeport. “It is imperative that this employer take prompt, effective, and lasting action to address these issues and prevent them from happening again.”Specifically, FleetPride was issued five repeat citations, with $92,500 in fines, for elevated work areas not guarded against fall hazards; untrained forklift operators; storing a forklift in front of a marked exit; exposed wiring in a heater and an electrical junction box; and not providing hazard communication training to new employees.

OSHA had cited Fleet Pride in 2006 and 2007 for substantially similar hazards in North Haven and/or at the company’s Willowbrook, IL location.Five serious citations, with $12,500 in fines, were issued for lack of a respiratory protection program, information, and medical evaluations for employees who wear respirators; lack of personal protective equipment; uncertified personal protective equipment hazard assessment and training; and not protecting energized fluorescent light fixtures against damage.  A serious citation is issued when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

Finally, three other-than-serious citations, with $3,000 in fines, were issued for incomplete, incorrect, or uncertified injury and illness logs and for not posting the OSHA 300A injury and illness summary.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 30th, 2008 at 8:10 am and is filed under OSHA Inspections. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.