OSHA cites health care facility, trailer seller for COVID hazards
The trailer sales company was cited following an inspection which found a dispatcher died from the virus after 11 employees test positive at the facility.
An Illinois rehabilitation center and Wisconsin trailer sales company were cited by The Department of Labor’s Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) for failing to protect workers from COVID-19 hazards.
The health care facility, Generations at Neighbors LLC of Byron, Illinois, was cited for not ensuring its coronavirus prevention plan included policies and procedures to minimize the risk of transmission to employees, according to the health and safety administration.
The facility also neglected to make sure employees were using respiratory protection properly, conduct thorough hazard assessments, maintain social distancing and physical barriers and determine employees’ vaccination status. In total, OSHA found four serious health violations and proposed $38,620 in penalties.
“Improper use of respirators in a health care facility where an outbreak of coronavirus could lead to a significant increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and potential death could have serious consequences for the health of employees,” Jacob Scott, OSHA area director in Naperville, Illinois, said in a release. “After more than a year of fighting this pandemic, employers need to ensure every precaution is taken to minimize workers’ risk of exposure.”
Complaint prompts trailer company inspection
In response to a complaint alleging COVID-19 hazards, OSHA inspected the facility of Amston Supply Inc., a trailer sales company, and found that a 49-year-old dispatcher had died from the virus on April 27, 2021, and 11 of the 38 employees tested positive for COVID-19 between April 12-May 18. The dispatcher had worked for the company approximately a month when he died, OSHA reported.
Despite an internal policy on employee screening, mask wearing and social distancing, the trailer sales firm was cited for allowing workers to congregate closely and without face coverings in offices, parts and service departments, maintenance areas and kitchen. The company was cited for a serious general duty clause violation and faces $9,557 in penalties.
“Failure to protect workers from the hazards related to coronavirus infection can have serious consequences,” OSHA Area Director Christine Zortman in Milwaukee said in a release. “Simply having a policy is not enough — employers are obligated to make sure preventive measures are actually being followed in order to protect their employees.”
These are two of the latest punitive measures OSHA has taken against companies breaking COVID-19 safety regulations, as the administration also recently cited an insurance agency and health care facility.
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