OSHA Fines USPS For Safety Violations in Florida

May 18, 2011

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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) slammed the Postal Service with more than $164,000 in fines for safety hazards at a West Palm Beach, FL, facility.

OSHA inspectors cited the USPS with six repeat violations, including exposing employees to electrical hazards and dangerous equipment; blocking fire escapes; incorrectly labeling hazardous waste containers; and failing to perform monthly inspections.

Two serious violations were also issued for exposing workers to being struck by equipment and obstructing exit routes.

The latest safety violations follow in the wake of other safety hazards found at facilities across the country. The Postal Service was most recently fined $93,500 for repeat violations at the Morgan Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) in New York City.

Electrical Work Practices Citations Summary

     

Site

Date

Amount

Des Moines, IA

1/27/2010

$97,500

Providence, RI

4/29/2010

$558,000

Denver, CO

4/30/2010

$217,000

Bedford Park, IL

5/5/2010

$210,000

Anaheim, CA

5/24/2010

$11,050

Bell, CA

5/24/2010

$18,425

Las Vegas, NV

5/24/2010

$10,625

Philadelphia, PA (BMC)

6/3/2010

$210,000

Philadelphia, PA (P&DC)

6/4/2010

$217,000

Baton Rouge, LA

6/7/2010

$97,500

Pittsburgh, PA

6/8/2010

$300,000

Portland, OR

6/16/2010

$77,500

Belleville, IL

6/23/2010

$2,925

Scarborough, ME

6/25/2010

$430,000

St. Paul, MN

6/25/2010

$210,000

Capitol Heights, MD

7/1/2010

$270,000

Simi Valley, CA

7/9/2010

$13,175

White River Junction, VT

7/22/2010

$420,000

Boston, MA

7/26/2010

$357,000

Binghamton, NY

8/5/2010

$6,300

Dayton, OH

8/11/2010

$225,000

Portsmouth, NH

8/19/2010

$350,000

Sharonville, OH

8/19/2010

$210,000

Kansas City, KS

8/27/2010

$191,000

Columbus, OH

10/12/2010

$210,000

Huntington, WV

10/12/2010

$212,500

Bluefield, WV

11/17/2010

$287,000

Los Angeles, CA

11/18/2010

$220,000

Shrewsbury, MA

12/29/2010

$238,000

Duluth, GA

12/29/2010

$80,000

West Palm Beach, FL

5/18/2011

$164,000

Total to Date

$6,393,500

 

Recent OSHA Fines

OSHA Fines USPS For Safety Violations in Florida 
(5/18/11) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) slammed the Postal Service with more than $164,000 in fines for safety hazards at a West Palm Beach, FL,facility.

OSHA Charges USPS with Recurring Violations in New York 
(5/13/11) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) slammed the Postal Service with $93,500 in fines for five repeated safety violations at the Morgan Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) in New York City.

OSHA Fines USPS for 'Willful' Safety Violation 
(2/11/11) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) charged the Postal Service with another "willful" safety violation on Feb. 9, after managers in Nashville allowed workers to use dock levelers that were known to be unsafe. An employee was seriously injured while using the defective equipment.

OSHA: DBCS Machines Pose Risk to Workers' Health 
(1/14/11) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has hit the Postal Service with another unwelcome finding: Delivery Bar Code Sorter machines pose a direct risk to workers’ health, and there is a “general lack of understanding about the hazards and injuries” associated with the equipment among postal managers.

USPS Fails to Keep Proper Record of Injury and Illness, OSHA Finds 
(1/11/11) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) slammed the USPS again for safety violations — this time for under-recording workplace injuries and illnesses.In recent months, OSHA found 242 instances of recordkeeping violations during inspections of 10 postal facilities.

OSHA Slams USPS with Safety Violations in Massachusetts, Georgia
(12/29/10) On Dec. 29, OSHA fined the USPS $238,000 for hazards at the Central Massachusetts Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) in Shrewsbury, MA, and $80,000 at the North Metro P&DC in Duluth, GA.

OSHA Fines USPS For Safety Violations in Los Angeles
(11/29/10) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined the Postal Service $220,000 for willful and serious safety violations at the International Service Center in Los Angeles, CA.

OSHA Slams Postal Service for Safety Violations in Bluefield, WV
(11/23/10) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined the Postal Service $287,000 for willful electrical safety violations at a mail processing facility inBluefield, WV.

OSHA Fines USPS for Safety Violations in Columbus, OH
(10/18/10) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined the USPS $210,000 for willfully exposing employees to electrical safety hazards at the Columbus, OH Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC).

OSHA Fines USPS For Safety Violations in West Virginia 
(10/15/10) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined the USPS $212,500 for willfully exposing employees to electrical safety hazards at the Huntington, WV Processing and Distribution Facility (P&DF).

OSHA Fines USPS for Safety Violations in Binghamton, NY
(09/03/10) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined the USPS $8,000 for serious safety hazards at a Binghamton, NY postal facility.

OSHA Fines USPS for Safety Violations at Cincinnati BMC
(09/1/10) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued the Postal Service $210,000 in fines for exposing employees to electrical safety hazards at theCincinnati Bulk Mail Center (BMC).

OSHA Fines USPS for Safety Violations at KC BMC
(08/27/10) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued the Postal Service $191,000 in fines for exposing employees to serious and repeat safety hazards at the Bulk Mail Center (BMC) in Kansas City, KS.

OSHA Fines USPS for Violations in Portsmouth
(08/21/10) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) slammed the Postal Service with $350,000 in fines for exposing employees to electrical safety hazards at thePortsmouth, NH Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC).

OSHA Fines USPS for Violations in Dayton, OH
(08/19/10) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined the USPS $225,000 for willfully exposing employees to electrical hazards at the Dayton, OH mail processing center.

OSHA Fines USPS for Safety Violations in Boston
(08/03/10) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued the Postal Service nine “willful and serious” safety violations for exposing employees to electrical hazards at a Boston, MA postal facility. The USPS has been ordered to pay $357,000 in fines.

OSHA Fines USPS For Safety Violations At Vermont P&DC 
(07/30/10) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) slammed the Postal Service with $420,000 in fines for willingly exposing employees to electrical hazards at theWhite River Junction Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) in Vermont.

OSHA Fines USPS 
For Safety Violations at Southern MD P&DC 

(07/07/10) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited the USPS for nine “willful and serious” safety violations at the Southern MD Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC), and ordered the Postal Service to pay $272,000 in fines.

OSHA Fines USPS for
More Safety Violations 

(06/29/10) Adding to the growing number of safety citations issued to the Postal Service in recent weeks, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined the USPS $210,000 for exposing employees to electrical hazards at the Minneapolis/St. Paul (MN) Network Distribution Center (NDC).

USPS Cited for Safety Violations
At Southern Maine P&DC 

(06/29/10) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited the USPS for “willful and repeat” safety violations at the Southern Maine Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) in Scarborough for exposing postal employees to electrical hazards. The OSHA citations issued at the Scarborough facility total $430,000. OSHA inspectors issued the Postal Service six “willful” citations after finding employees working with or near live equipment without adequate training or protective equipment, exposing them to electric shock.

USPS Cited for Violations in Portland, OR 
(06/28/10) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited the USPS for “willful and serious” safety violations at the Portland, OR Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) for exposing employees to electrical hazards. The OSHA citations issued at the Portland facility total $77,000. Postal employees were performing tests on live equipment without adequate protective gear, and were exposed to electrocution from energized machinery.

OSHA Cites USPS for 
Violations in Baton Rouge 

(06/16/10) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited the USPS for safety violations at the Baton Rouge, LA Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) for exposing employees to electrical hazards.

USPS Charged with Seven Violations in Pittsburgh 
(06/10/10) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued the USPS its sixth set of workplace safety citations on June 8, charging the Postal Service with seven “willful” and “serious” violations related to electrical hazards at the Pittsburgh, PA mail processing facility.

USPS Cited for Safety Violations in Philadelphia
Citations Issued at Five Locations since April 29
(06/05/10) The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) issued the USPS its fifth set of safety citations on June 3, charging the Postal Service with six counts of “willful” and “serious” violations at the Philadelphia P&DC.

USPS Cited for Fourth Set of Safety Violations 
Fines Now Exceed $1 Million 
(06/04/10) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) charged the Postal Service with five “willful” safety violations at the Philadelphia Bulk Mail Center on June 3, and fined the USPS $210,000. The latest citations bring the Postal Service’s total OSHA fines to more than $1 million.

USPS Cited for Third Set of Safety Violations in One Week
Fines Now Total Nearly One Million Dollars

(05/11/10) Issuing its third set of citations in less than a week, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) charged the USPS with five counts of "willful" safety violations in Bedford Park, IL on May 5.

OSHA Cites USPS for Safety Violations in Denver
Findings Occur Just Days After Citations Issued in Providence 

(05/05/10) Five days after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued citations and fines of more than a half-million dollars to the Postal Service for safety hazards in Providence, RI, the agency charged the USPS in Denver, CO with similar violations.

OSHA Cites USPS for ‘Willful’ Safety Violations
Says Agency Knowingly Endangered Employees

(05/03/10) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has charged the USPS in Providence, RI, with 12 willful and serious safety violations, and ordered it to pay fines of $558,000.

 

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