Combustible Liquid Hazards Among Repeat Citations for Truck Service Garage
OSHA has cited the Travel Centers of America (TCA) truck service garage in Limon, Colo., for 16 alleged serious and repeat violations of federal safety and health standards, with proposed penalties totaling $181,500. The agency initiated its inspection on April 7 after receiving a formal complaint alleging employee exposure to electrical, combustible liquids and compressed gas hazards at the facility. The inspection was limited to the truck servicing bays where the violations were confirmed.
"Our inspection revealed that TCA failed to protect its employees," said John Healy, OSHA's area office director in Englewood, Colo. "Employers must correct known hazards to keep their employees safe at all times."
OSHA cited the TCA facility, proposing $39,000 in fines, for nine serious violations that addressed hazards associated with floor openings, egress, housekeeping, compressed gas and electrical hazards. The repeat violations, with proposed penalties totaling $142,500, address a variety of hazards associated with electrical, stairways, exit signage, flammable/combustible liquids and the storage of oxygen cylinders.
Over the past 10 years, TCA, which operates 1,632 sites across the nation with approximately 11,900 employees, has been inspected 37 times by OSHA and cited for similar violations. Repeat violations exist where the employer has been cited for similar conditions in the past three years. The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and proposed penalties to comply, request and participate in an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.