Two $7,000 Fines Issued for Heat Fatality
Labor Ready Northeast Inc. and Waste Management of Trenton have been cited for a serious violation each of the general duty clause, OSHA announced.
OSHA announced it has cited Waste Management of Trenton and Labor Ready Northeast Inc. of Ewing for one serious violation each of the general duty clause, with a proposed fine of $7,000 for each of them, which is the maximum allowed for a serious violation, after heat-related fatality in June. OSHA opened an inspection after a Labor Ready Northeast temp employee working for Waste Management as a garbage collection worker died while picking up trash on a collection route in Hopewell Borough, N.J.
"This tragedy underscores how critical it is for employers to ensure that workers have frequent access to water, rest and shade to prevent heat illness and injuries during the hot summer months, and also why it is important that workers know how to recognize and respond to the signs of heat-related illness," said Paula Dixon-Roderick, director of OSHA's Marlton Area Office.
The agency claimed the companies failed to ensure that trash collection workers drank enough fluids during elevated heat conditions and did not train workers on how to recognize and respond to the signs of heat stress.
OSHA's heat illness educational materials in English and Spanish are available at http://www.osha.gov/heat, and an OSHA app for mobile devices that allows workers and supervisors to monitor the heat index at their work sites, also in English and Spanish, is at http://www.osha.gov/heatapp.