The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited carpet manufacturer Garland Sales Inc. with 15 serious workplace safety violations, following a November 2012 inspection of the company’s facility in Dalton, Georgia. Garland Sales is a company that manufactures rugs and carpets and employs more than 300 workers. OSHA’s inspection of the facility was conducted as part of the agency’s national emphasis program on work-related amputations, and the proposed penalties against the company total $73,000. If you have been injured in an on-the-job accident in Georgia, or if you lost a loved one in a fatal work accident, consult our knowledgeable lawyers at Rechtman & Spevak for legal help. You may be entitled to financial compensation for your injuries and medical bills, which our attorneys can help you pursue.
Workplace Injuries in Georgia
Garland Sales was cited for a number of serious safety violations, including exposing workers to chemical hazards by not implementing a written hazard communication program, tripping and burn hazards due to obstructed fire extinguishers, electrical shock hazards due to improperly assembled and marked electrical control panels, and more. Additional citations were issued by OSHA investigators for allowing workers to operate forklifts without ensuring that they were properly trained, and for failing to establish a lockout/tagout program with machine-specific procedures.
According to OSHA, a serious violation occurs when there is significant probability that serious physical injury or death could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known. “Employers have the responsibility to identify and remove hazards from the workplace to protect workers,” said acting area director of OSHA’s Atlanta-West Area Office, Christi Griffin. “They should not wait for OSHA to conduct an inspection to identify and correct workplace hazards.”
Our Workers’ Compensation Attorneys Can Help
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers throughout the United States are responsible for providing safe and healthful work environments for their employees. Unfortunately, when employers ignore workplace hazards or fail to correct them in a timely manner, innocent workers are the ones who usually suffer the consequences. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 5,703 workers died in on-the-job accidents in 2006 alone, including 192 workers in Georgia. If you have suffered injuries in a work-related accident in Atlanta, Marietta, or elsewhere in Georgia, contact our reputable workers' compensation attorneys at Rechtman & Spevak to explore your possible compensation options. Our law firm is located in Atlanta, and our lawyers have years of experience helping injured workers seek fair and timely reimbursement for their GA work-related injuries.
Source: https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=24018
