Federal officials cited a Stockbridge plumbing and resurfacing contractor, saying the company is responsible after one of its employees inhaled highly concentrated fumes on the job and died.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration levied a $183,127 penalty against Creative Multicare Inc. following an investigation that revealed the employee “suffered fatal injuries after inhaling lacquer thinner.”
The employee was performing a job in a residential bathroom at the Hampton Place Apartments in Perry on Oct. 7 of last year, according to U.S. Department of Labor spokesman Eric Lucero. The task required using a lacquer thinner to refinish a bathtub.
However, the paint thinner contained a concentration of chemicals “much greater than the allowable peak exposure,” according to the citation.
The citation also lists a series of “serious” violations by Multicare, accusing the company of failing to adequately protect its employees and falling short of fully assessing the hazardous conditions posed by the chemicals.
“The hazard assessment was deficient because it did not evaluate the need for chemical goggle or a face shield for employees using hazardous liquid chemicals,” the citation said.
According to OSHA, Creative Multicare also improperly labeled mixtures and didn’t ensure there were areas where employees could flush their eyes and body in case of an emergency. The company failed to provide the employee who was killed with flame retardant clothing in a situation where a highly flammable substance was being used, according to the citation.
“Employers must be vigilant in identifying and eliminating recognized safety and health hazards when allowing employees to work with hazardous chemicals,” Atlanta OSHA Director William Cochran said.
Creative Multicare has 15 business days to pay the penalty, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director or challenge the investigation’s findings.
The company has been cited by OSHA on at least one other occasion following an employee’s death.
RELATED: Stockbridge-based Creative Multicare Inc. cited by OSHA in worker's death
An employee working on a bathroom at the Lakeshore Apartments in Clarkston was found dead on the floor after inhaling a paint thinner in February 2011, AJC.com previously reported.
A medical examiner found that the employee was exposed to more than 47 times the OSHA standard amount of methylene chloride.
In that incident, the company was cited for five serious violations.
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