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The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued fines to Prestige Industries LLC for safety violations following an investigation at a facility in New Jersey. OSHA officials inspected the facility in North Bergen following an anonymous complaint.
Investigators cited four repeat and five serious violations, including a lack of guards on machines, failure to implement a lockout/tagout policy and procedure, failure to control energy sources and failure to train workers on energy control. Proposed penalties against Prestige total $219,000.
Prestige is no stranger to OSHA penalties, as the company was fined in 2012 following the 2011 death of an employee at a facility in New York in which a worker was crushed to death after being caught on a conveyor belt that did not have a proper guard on it.
“The safety hazards present at this facility pose serious risks to workers and must be immediately corrected,” said OSHA’s Kris Hoffman. “OSHA will continue to hold employers legally accountable when they fail to provide safe workplaces.”
Serious and repeat violations such as these will likely land Prestige in OSHA’s Severe Violator program at some point, making it subject to frequent and random inspections—and rightfully so. It is egregious that this company did not take steps to protect its workers and committed the same violations that lead to a loss of life only two years ago.
If you or a loved one has been injured on the job you may be entitled to workers comp benefits. Call our office at (614) 221-7548 for a free consultation or visit our site for more information.
Larrimer & Larrimer, LLC—Columbus Workers Comp Attorneys