The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued $317,814 in proposed fines to Columbia Recycling Corp., a Dalton, Georgia-based recycling company, due to repeated workplace violations.
In an OSHA release, Christi Griffin, OSHA’s director of the Atlanta-West Office, says, “The issuance of repeated citations is a clear indication that Columbia Recycling continues to ignore OSHA’s safety standards and lacks concern to protect workers at this facility. Employers need to be proactive and should not wait for an OSHA inspection to assess and correct workplace safety hazards.”
The citations issued by OSHA include five repeated, three serious and one other-than-series safety and health violations. The citations followed an inspection that took place on April 26, 2016.
OSHA’s violations targeted the company for failing to follow through on the following:
- Administer an effective hearing conservation program
- Ensure nameplates were maintained in a legible condition
- Protect petroleum gas storage tanks with crash rails or guards
- Store and handle liquefied petroleum properly.
- Outline clear and specific energy control procedures for shutting down and securing machines and equipment
The serious citations issued to Columbia Recycling relate to the following:
- Improper storage of compressed gas cylinders
- Not ensuring an employee successfully completed training to operate a powered industrial truck
- Not allowing sufficient access and working space around electrical equipment.
One other violation was cited for failure to report a work-related amputation within the required 24 hours.
The citations can be viewed by clicking here.
Columbia Recycling extrudes textile and plastic waste to make melt-filtered reprocessed pellets to be used in the automotive industry for injection molding.
The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, request a conference with OSHA’s area director or contest the findings before the independent OSHA Review Commission.
A spokeswoman for Columbia refused comment on the violations.
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