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City postal center faces $350K in fines from OSHA: OSHA: Safety violations spur filing of 1st-ever enterprise-wide complaintPORTSMOUTH, Aug 21, 2010 (Portsmouth Herald - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- A city postal facility faces $350,000 in fines for alleged safety violations involving electrical hazards at the plant. According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the federal mail processing and distribution center at 345 Heritage Ave. was inspected following employee complaints. OSHA officials alleged employees were "troubleshooting" and voltage testing on "near live electrical equipment and wiring that had not been first de-energized." The workers were also not provided with protective gear and were inadequately trained, OSHA alleged. "These citations and the sizable fines proposed here reflect the U.S. Postal Service's ongoing knowledge of and failure to address conditions that exposed its workers to the severe and potentially deadly hazards of electric shock, arc flashes and arc blasts," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. The Postal Service has 15 business days to comply with safety laws, meet with the OSHA area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. An employee who answered the phone at the Heritage Avenue facility told the Herald employees are not allowed to speak to the media. The Labor Department announced Friday it will also be filing "an enterprise-wide complaint" against the U.S. Postal Service for electrical work safety violations. The complaint asks the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission to order the federal Postal Service to correct electrical violations at all of its facilities nationwide. "This complaint marks the first time OSHA has sought enterprise-wide relief as a remedy," according to OSHA. One complaint against the Portsmouth facility alleges employees were not trained in and familiar with safety-related work practices "that pertained to their respective job assignments." According to OSHA documents, the facility was cited for the same offense in 2007. OSHA alleges postal employees were exposed to "the hazards of electrical arc flash/blast and shock" at the federal facility without protective clothing or eye and face protection. The facility was previously cited for the same violation in 2008, according to OSHA. Another violation cited by OSHA states "the training provided by the employer to the qualified and unqualified employees was not determined by an adequate risk assessment of the hazards faced by employees." In particular, employees were testing and working with electrical components without proper training. OSHA records state the postal facility was previously cited for that same infraction three years ago. The postal facility is also accused of having "unqualified persons" performing work on electrical circuits, while the employer "did not establish safe procedures." Employees were also exposed to head injury because they were not provided with adequate headgear and the facility was cited for the same offense two years ago, according to OSHA records. To see more of the Portsmouth Herald, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.seacoastonline.com. Copyright (c) 2010, Portsmouth Herald, N.H. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544). |