OSHA Cites Postal Service In Baton Rouge – Proposed Penalties Totaling $97,500
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited the U.S. Postal Service’s Baton Rouge Processing and Distribution Center for allegedly exposing employees to electrical and lockout/tagout hazards, the Department of Labor said today. Proposed penalties total $97,500.
The OSHA investigation found that employees involved in maintenance activities were exposed to energized electrical circuits without personal protective gear and could have been electrocuted or struck by equipment that suddenly became energized due to inadequate control procedures. The facility, which employs about 544 workers, has 15 working days from receipt of citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA or contest the citations and proposed penalties.
USPS Cited for Third Set Of Safety Violations in One Week
Fines Now Total Nearly One Million Dollars
APWU News
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 [PDF] in Bedford Park, IL on May 5. The latest citations bring the Postal Service’s total fines for these violations to nearly $1 million.
The Postal Service willfully exposed employees to hazards associated with live electrical parts, OSHA said. Postal workers were found working on live machinery with more than 480 volts of electricity without being provided nonconductive head protection, voltage-rated gloves, flame resistant clothing, or face shields to prevent injury from electric arcs. In addition, employees were not properly trained to work on machines.
OSHA issued the Postal Service $210,000 in fines for knowingly exposing employees to the risk of electric shock. The most recent citations follow OSHA fines of more than $500,000 dollars in Providence, RI and more than $200,000 in Denver, CO for similar electrical safety violations.
The APWU expects more safety violations to be issued by OSHA in the coming weeks. Check www.apwu.org for updated information.
APWU Files Dispute Concerning USPS Failure to Bargain Over Safety and Ergonomic Issues
The APWU has initiated a national dispute over the Postal Service’s failure and refusal to meet and bargain in good faith the the Union about safety and ergonomic issues associated with the Delivery Bar Code Sorter (DCBS). As previously reported, the APWU filed an unfair labor practice charge in December 2008 over the Postal Service’s refusal to bargain over safety and ergonomic issues. A portion of that charge concerning information requests was settled, but the NLRB deferred the complaint on the issue of bargaining to the grievance procedure. This national dispute will be given priority scheduling under the terms of the NLRB deferral and placed at the head of the arbitration docket pursuant to Article 14.2
Click here for a copy of the Union’s National Dispute Letter