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General Awning Co., a Brooklyn Heights, Ohio manufacturer, was hit with $48,800 in proposed penalties as a result of eight safety violations. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued the violations and fines after it found during a follow-up inspection that General Awning had failed to correct six previous violations, and the company’s attempt to correct two other previous violations was inadequate.
“Six months after the previous inspection, General Awning failed to correct the safety violations noted,” Howard Eberts, OSHA’s area director in Cleveland, told the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Public Affairs.
General Awning was previously cited for all eight of its latest violations in October of 2012. Of the eight violations, six were failure-to-abate violations issued for failing to correct deficiencies involving the:
Lack of a written hazard communication program and training of workers
Lack of an availability of safety data sheets for chemicals utilized in the facility
Lack of an energy control program
Lack of training for forklift drivers
Lack of markings for overhead storage locations indicating approved load capacities
The two repeat violations that General Awning was cited for were for failing to ensure all necessary machine guarding was present and affixed to machinery.
“Employers who are cited for failure-to-abate and repeat violations show a profound lack of commitment to worker safety and health and a lack of awareness about the dangers that exist in their facility,” said Eberts.
Our firm has been successfully defending the rights of workers suffering at the hands of negligent employers for over 80 years. If you know or even suspect that your employer is exposing you to an unsafe workplace, our Columbus workers comp lawyers can guide you through the legal process of bringing your employer to justice and recovering the compensation you need to get your life back on track.
For more information about how we can help you make sure that you do not miss out on your full workers’ compensation or Social Security disability benefits, visit our website. To schedule a free consultation, contact our firm today at (614) 221-7548.
Did You Know?: 3.5 per 100,000 full-time workers were killed on the job in 2011.
Larrimer & Larrimer, LLC—Columbus Workers Comp Attorneys