Workplace accidents occur every day in Georgia. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) monitors working conditions throughout the United States and investigates accidents in the workplace. If OSHA discovers uncorrected violations, the employer may be subject to citations and penalties. OSHA’s mission is to improve working conditions for all workers in the United States in order to reduce workplace injuries.
Georgia Goodyear Plant Faces Federal Workplace Law Violations
According to one news source, a Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plant in Georgia was cited for around $70,000 for failing to follow federal workplace safety laws and creating a risk of Georgia workplace accidents. OSHA recently cited the plant for seven citations after an inspection of its plant in Social Circle, Georgia. The OSHA area office director stated that the organization found “multiple safety deficiencies that put employees at risk of serious injury or death.”
Some of the citations included failing to provide proper protective gear for workers using hot metal presses, leaking equipment on the production floor, and hazards from unguarded machines. A Goodyear spokeswoman stated that the company cooperated with OSHA and that it is following the process to respond to citations.
However, another investigation recently revealed similar safety issues. The Center for Investigative Reporting found that Goodyear had a lax approach to safety, which contributed to deaths of its workers and motorists. According to the investigation, the company was among the top five manufacturers for workplace deaths since 2009 in the U.S. Former workers in some Goodyear plants stated that they felt pressure to put production over workplace safety. Since October 2008, the company has been fined over $1.9 million for over 200 health and workplace safety violations. That is much more than its four major competitors put together. The Social Circle, Georgia plant had already been cited for three workplace safety violations.
A former OSHA representative stated that despite multiple citations, the company “never seems to learn a very basic lesson: that they are legally and morally required to provide safe workplaces for their employees.”
Georgia’s Workers’ Compensation Act
Georgia’s Workers’ Compensation Act provides compensation to employees who are injured at work. Workers’ compensation benefits are meant to help workers return to work and, in the case of a death, provide compensation to workers’ dependents to ease the burden of their financial loss.
Contact a Workers’ Compensation Attorney
If you or a member of your family has been injured at work, do not let your employer prevent you from obtaining the compensation you deserve. At the law office of J. Franklin Burns, P.C., we have a track record of positive case outcomes resulting in millions of dollars in compensation. Our Atlanta workers’ compensation attorneys are former insurance defense attorneys, which means that we understand the other side’s tactics. This allows us to further our clients’ cases at trial or through settlement by using this inside knowledge and experience. Call us at 404-920-4708 or fill out the contact form on our website for a free case evaluation.
