OSHA Slams USPS for Safety Violations In Massachusetts, Georgia
December 30, 2010
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) continues to charge the Postal Service with willful and serious safety violations at mail processing facilities across the country. 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.
At both facilities, OSHA inspectors found that the Postal Service exposed employees to electrical hazards. In Shrewsbury, inspectors found that the USPS failed to properly train postal employees or provide them with adequate safety equipment, and live machinery was not properly de-energized, exposing employees to the risk of electric shock. The facility also lacked proper voltage meters, and the USPS failed to perform periodic checks on energy control procedures.
At the Duluth facility, there were no safeguards to prevent accidental start-up of machinery; material was stored in front of electrical and circuit breaker panels; electrical boxes had unused openings, and there was exposed electrical wiring.
The latest OSHA citations bring the Postal Service’s total fines to more than $6.2 million.
| 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 |
| Total to Date | $6,229,500 | |