OSHA Proposes $420,000 in Fines Against US Postal Service for Electrical Hazards at Vermont Mail Processing Facility
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Friday, July 30, 2010 |
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The U.S. Department of
Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited the
U.S. Postal Service for six alleged willful violations of safety
standards following an inspection at the White River Junction
Processing and Distribution Center in White River Junction, Vt. The
Postal Service faces a total of $420,000 in fines, chiefly for exposing
workers to electrical hazards.
OSHA's inspection, which began Jan. 30, 2010, in response to worker
complaints, found untrained or unqualified employees at the White River
Junction distribution center routinely performing troubleshooting,
servicing, voltage testing and maintenance on or near live electrical
equipment, such as mail sorting and cancelling machines. The machines
had not first been deenergized and the workers also lacked personal
protective equipment, insulated tools and were not provided electrical
lockout/tagout procedures to use.
"The conditions cited here exposed workers to the swift and potentially
deadly hazards of electric shock, arc flashes and arc blasts," said
Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. "This large
fine reflects both the gravity of these hazards and the Postal
Service's ongoing knowledge of and failure to correct them."
As a result of its inspection, OSHA has issued six willful citations to
the Postal Service for the conditions at the White River Junction
facility. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with plain
indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health.
The Postal Service has 15 business days from receipt of its latest
citations and proposed penalties to comply, meet with the OSHA area
director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational
Safety and Health Review Commission. This inspection was conducted by
OSHA's Concord, N.H., Area Office; telephone 603-225-1629. To report
workplace accidents, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to
workers, call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-6742.
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