Earlier this October, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommended that a roughly $300,000 fine be levied against a Georgia recycling company after it was discovered that the company engaged in several repeated safety errors. According to one industry news source, the OSHA representative who conducted the inspection stated that the company’s failure to comply with OSHA safety standards shows that the company “lacks concern to protect workers at [the] facility.”
Evidently, the recently announced fines are in relation to an inspection that took place earlier this year in April. The facility recycles textile and plastic waste into small pellets that the automobile industry can then use to create various plastic components through the process of injection molding. The safety violations discovered by the OSHA representative involved the company failing to follow up on the following:
- Properly storing and handling liquid petroleum;
- Protecting petroleum gas tanks with crash rails or other guards;
- Ensuring that nameplates were kept in good condition and legible;
- Implementing an effective hearing-preservation plan; and
- Implementing a clear protocol for shutting down and securing machines and other equipment.
The company was also cited for its failure to report a work-related amputation within 24 hours of the occurrence. Additionally, OSHA cited the company for several other serious violations, including a failure to provide sufficient access to workspace around electrical equipment, a failure to ensure that an employee who operated an industrial truck completed the required safety course, and a failure to adequately store compressed gas cylinders.
Dangerous Workplaces in Georgia
The above article serves as a reminder that industrial workplaces are dangerous places. It is only through a company’s compliance with OSHA safety standards as well as other industry safety standards that the potential hazards in these facilities are kept at a tolerable level. However, not all employers take their responsibility to create a safe workplace seriously. Other times, despite a company’s best efforts, injuries may still occur.
Thankfully, workers across Georgia who are injured while on the job are generally eligible for compensation through the workers’ compensation program. Through this no-fault program, an employee may be entitled to benefits without having to prove that the accident was not his fault and was caused by either the employer or another employee. To learn more about obtaining benefits, consult with a dedicated workers’ compensation attorney to discuss your situation.
Have You Been Injured on the Job in Atlanta?
If you have recently been injured while on the job in Atlanta or in the surrounding area, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. Depending on the severity of your injuries, benefits can potentially be received for life. To learn more about how you may qualify for workers’ compensation, contact J. Franklin Burns, PC. For the past 15 years, Attorney Burns and his team of dedicated workers’ compensation attorneys have represented injured workers in a wide variety of workers’ compensation claims. Call 404-920-4708 to set up a free consultation today.
