Florida-based Company Cited for Repeat Hazards at Texas Facility
Southern Grouts and Mortars Inc. has been cited for eight violations after OSHA's Fort Worth area office investigated.
Southern Grouts and Mortars Inc. has been cited for eight safety and health violations by OSHA after a May 2014 follow-up inspection found repeat violations at its Waxahachie, Texas, facility. Proposed penalties against the Pompano Beach, Fla.-based company total $58,520. The company anufactures swimming pool, spa, and deck finishes while employing about 100 workers in all, 16 of whom work at the Waxahachie facility. Additional manufacturing facilities are in Corona, Calif., and Plant City, Fla., according to OSHA.
OSHA's Fort Worth Area Office initially conducted a complaint inspection in February 2013 and cited the employer in June 2013 with four serious violations for failure to provide a respiratory program that included medical evaluations and respirator fit testing and failure to provide hazardous communication information to employees regarding exposure to dust particles.
“Southern Grouts and Mortars continues to expose its workers to hazards that could unnecessarily injure them or cause illness or death. Employers are responsible for ensuring workers' health and safety while on the job and the company's disregard for this will not be tolerated,” said Jack Rector, OSHA's area director in Fort Worth.
With a penalty of $29,260, four serious violations were cited for failure to provide fall protection near open-sided floors and ensure a fall protection railing was installed; to provide a hearing conservation program; and to regulate compressed air used for cleaning purposes.
Four repeat violations, with fines of $29,260, were cited for failure to provide a respiratory protection program that included medical evaluations and fitness testing; continuing to allow employees to work under a load elevated by a forklift; failure to implement engineering controls for workers with prolonged exposure to dust particles and to provide hazard communication information on exposure to dust particles.