A Best Buy Co. Inc. store was cited five times by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration after an employee suffered a serious work injury in Georgia. The accident happened earlier this year at the store on Pleasant Hill Road in Duluth, according to Operational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). The employee suffered severe head injuries from a fall at the electronics store.The Best Buy employee was reportedly stacking televisions on a storage rack. To reach the rack, he was standing on an elevated powered industrial truck’s platform. The platform allegedly tilted suddenly causing the worker to fall roughly 12 feet.
Our Georgia workers’ compensation attorneys are aware of the dangers that workers face in a number of workplaces. Workers are encouraged to speak with their employer if they feel unsafe completing a task or have any concerns pertaining to job safety. Laws are in place to prevent employers from retaliating against employees for reporting these types of safety risks.
The Georgia Best Buy store received two repeat violations including failing to provide personal protective equipment to fit the employee and safety guardrails for a 12-foot tall fall hazard.
An employer will receive a repeat violation when they have previous been cited for the same, or similar, violations of standard, rule, regulation, or order at that or any other facility in federal enforcement states within the past five years.
“This injury resulted from managers’ complacency, as they failed to oversee powered industrial truck operators to make sure that fall protection was being used,” said Bill Fulcher, director of OSHA’s Atlanta-East Area Office. “The fact that the body belt was too big for the operator shows a lack of concern and a desire to get the job done regardless of danger to the worker.”
OSHA came down on another company too, as the government cited CIB Internation Inc., or Canam Signs and Imaging. The sign company received 15 safety and health violations a shop in Georgia following an inspection earlier this year. They’re reportedly facing $89,000 in fines, according to OSHA.
The business was cited once with willfully exposing their workers to fire hazards by permitting spray paint to take place near their welding operations.
A willful violation is given when a business knows of and voluntarily disregards the law’s requirements, all while showing plain indifference for worker safety and health.
Thirteen more serious violations, totally $33,000 in penalties were also issued to the company. These citations include failing to regularly inspect fire extinguishers, failing to separate the storage of oxygen, acetylene in a production area, allowing flammable material to be stored near an emergency exit, failing to maintain information sheets for chemicals employees used in the production area and failing to develop a hazard communications program. They were also handed a number of citations for electrical violations.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 holds employers responsible for providing safe working conditions for all employees.
If you have experienced a serious injury at work in the Atlanta area and want to discuss your rights, contact the experienced Atlanta workers’ compensation attorneys at J. Franklin Burns. Call 404-920-4708 to make a free appointment to discuss your claim.
