A Lawrenceville wood distributor has been fined more than $125,000 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for exposing its employees to chemical and other safety hazards, a U.S. Department of Labor release said.
Woodgrain Millwork Co., which has a distribution facility in Lawrenceville, was cited twice with a total of five specific violations. The second citation was for two repeat violations, according to an OSHA notice.
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OSHA regularly inspects workplaces for compliance with health and safety regulations and cites businesses they deem out of compliance. The Lawrenceville facility referred The Atlanta Journal-Constitution to Woodgrain Millwork’s corporate office in Idaho, which did not return requests for comment.
Woodgrain was cited primarily for not following safety procedures for employees working with dangerous chemicals, keeping damaged vehicles in operation and not properly marking pedestrian paths on a warehouse floor.
Employees handling “corrosive acid” used to fill batteries did not have access to an eyewash station in case of contact with the dangerous chemical, the OSHA citation said. The company also did not ensure employees working with other dangerous chemicals had the protective eye, face or hand equipment that would prevent burns and other injuries, constituting two repeat offenses, the citation said.
Woodgrain was also cited for not labeling aisles and passageways for pedestrians in warehouse areas where trucks were driving and for allowing employees to operate a truck that had “damaged and exposed live conductor battery wiring, non-operating lights, damaged hydraulic lines, seatbelt not functioning properly and broken fork pin lift handles. All five citations were corrected during the April 2 inspection. The fines and citations were formally issued on June 20.
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