OSHA cites insurance agency, health care facility for COVID hazards
The insurance agency, which had a worker die from COVID, was investigated following an employee complaint.
The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will potentially levy fines against an insurance agency for exposing workers to COVID-19, while a health care facility in Bloomington, Indiana, was cited for failing to protect workers from the virus.
Auto policy writer Fred Loya Insurance Agency Inc. was found to have ignored coronavirus safety requirements and allowed employees displaying symptoms to work at a Denver location where an employee had died from COVID, according to OSHA, which started an investigation following a whistleblower complaint. The investigation found the agency failed to safely distance employees, didn’t implement health and safety plans and allowed symptomatic workers to remain on site. The company faces $23,406 in proposed penalties.
“Fred Loya Insurance Agency needlessly exposed employees in its Fort Collins office to co-workers with COVID-19 symptoms,” OSHA area director Amanda Kupper said in a release. “This company showed an indifference toward the safety and well-being of its employees, including one who fell victim to the coronavirus.”
In a separate incident, West Suburban Nursing and Rehabilitation Center LLC was found to have not implemented a hazard assessment process to evaluate for potential COVID-19 exposure, failed to track the vaccination status of employees, and didn’t erect barriers or maintain control procedures to maintain six feet of distance between employees at entry points and nursing stations, according to an OSHA follow-up investigation. An employee died at the facility in June 2020 from the virus.
The administration also found the health care provider didn’t ensure proper use of respirators, nor did it fit-test all employees to ensure a proper seal. The facility faces more than $83,000 in proposed fines.
“Simply wearing a respirator is not enough. Employers must ensure respirators fit correctly and maintain a face-to-face piece seal to ensure they protect the user from the spread of infectious diseases,” Jake Scott, OSHA area director in Naperville, said in a release. “After more than a year of fighting this pandemic, employers should know the procedures to minimize workers’ risk of exposure and take every precaution.”
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