The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Georgia’s Marglen Industries Inc. for one willful and one serious safety violation, after four of a GA worker’s fingers were amputated while servicing a dust collector’s airlock system at the company’s facility. In response to the workplace accident, OSHA initiated an inspection under the federal agency’s National Emphasis Program on Amputations. On-the-job injuries resulting from hazardous working conditions occur far too often in Georgia and across the United States, many of which result in tragic loss of life. For those workers who sustain injuries in a Georgia on-the-job accident, medical or disability benefits may be available to cover the cost of medical bills and missed time at work. If you have been injured in a workplace accident in Atlanta, or elsewhere in Georgia, contact our skilled workers’ compensation attorneys at Rechtman & Spevak to explore your compensation options.
Georgia Company Cited for Willful and Serious Safety Violations
A willful safety violation occurs when a company knowingly or voluntarily disregards federal safety requirements, or exhibits plain indifference to worker safety and health. A serious safety violation, by OSHA standards, describes a situation in which there is substantial probability that serious physical harm or death could result from a hazard, that employer knew about or should have known about. The willful violation cited by OSHA in the amputation incident involved allowing Marglen employees to perform maintenance and service on the dust collector’s airlock system without developing, documenting and using a specific lockout/tagout protocol for de-energizing the system. The serious violation involved the Georgia company’s failure to train employees to ensure that they are able to recognize dangerous energy sources, the methods necessary for isolating energy, and the type and magnitude of the energy available in the workplace.
Workers’ Compensation Attorneys for Income Benefits
“Although the company has a lockout/tagout program, it was not implemented for this machine, resulting in serious injury to a worker,” said Andre Richards, director of OSHA’s Atlanta-West Area Office. “It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that proper safety procedures are followed at all times.” Marglen Industries recycles plastic bottles into food-grade packaging or carpet, and the proposed penalties for the Georgia worker’s injury total $69,300. Too often, workers in Georgia sustain serious injuries because of their employer’s failure to maintain a safe working environment for all employees. If you have suffered injuries in a Georgia workplace accident caused by a serious safety violation, contact our experienced workers’ compensation attorneys at Rechtman & Spevak today. Our law firm is located in Atlanta, and our workers’ comp lawyers work hard to protect the rights of injured workers throughout Georgia.
