OSHA Investigation at Georgia Nursery Reveals Deadly Workplace Hazards
Evergreen Nursery has been cited for 18 serious violations.
After an overturned forklift hospitalized a worker at its Statham, Ga., location, an OSHA investigation has resulted in 18 serious safety violations for Evergreen Nursery Inc. The worker was operating a forklift on uneven terrain when the lift turned over and crushed his pelvis. OSHA determined the worker was not wearing a seat belt during the incident.
OSHA has proposed $46,900 in penalties in the case.
Some of the serious citations include exposing workers to electrical hazards, not providing protective equipment to workers, and exposing workers to unguarded machine parts and equipment.
"Evergreen Nursery is exposing workers to numerous serious safety hazards and needs to be more proactive with assessing the workplace for hazards and taking action to correct them," said William Fulcher, OSHA's area director in the Atlanta-East Office. This incident could have been prevented if management had followed OSHA standards."