Lumber Company Cited by OSHA for Safety Hazards
L&L Lumber Co. faces $45,000 in proposed fines following an OSHA inspection at an Alabama work site.
OSHA announced it has cited L&L Lumber Co. for 26 health and safety violations following an inspection completed at a work site in Huntsville, Ala. The inspection began in October 2013 following a complaint about hazardous working conditions.
The company employs around 60 workers and manufactures lumber pallets and railings. The OSHA inspection has resulted in $45,780 in proposed penalties due to unsafe work conditions, with the agency issued 15serious violations, including for allegedly failing to guard dangerous equipment and creating struck-by, amputation, and laceration hazards. In addition, the company has been cited for allegedly exposing workers to excess noise, failing to outline the steps to control hazardous energy, and allowing an industrial truck to be used despite having an inoperable backup alarm and brake lights. The company also failed to cover electrical box openings, according to the citations.
In addition, OSHA cited the company for 11 other-than-serious citations, which include failure to provide training and information for workers exposed to wood dust, diesel fuel, and lubricants.
"It is the employer's responsibility to ensure all workers are protected, and this company failed to do that," said Ramona Morris, OSHA's area director in Birmingham. "This employer has put its workers at risk of serious injury or death by exposing them to unguarded machinery, excessive noise, and electrical shock."