Florida company cited for OSHA violations at Albany work site

ATLANTA — Florida-based Atlas Steel Coatings Inc. has been assessed a proposed $58,800 fine by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety & Health Administration as the result of 13 citations issued by the federal agency for work the company performed at 129 Philema Road in Albany.

The citations, which, according to an OSHA official, came after a worker filed a complaint, were leveled for failure to train workers on lead hazards, not providing personal protective equipment for workers exposed to lead, not developing a site-specific compliance plan, not providing showers for workers exposed to lead beyond safe levels, failure to conduct forklift training, and failure to notify workers in writing of their blood lead test results within five days.

The first four citations are considered “serious” violations by OSHA. The agency says serious violations occur when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard that the employer knew or should have known about.

“This employer not only exposed its workers to unsafe levels of lead, but it also failed to take any precautions required to prevent workers from transferring lead contamination to their homes or families,” said Robert Vazzi, director of OSHA’s Savannah Area Office, which investigated the Atlas Steel Coatings worker’s complaint. “OSHA holds employers accountable for correcting conditions that threaten worker safety and health.”

Michael D’Aquino, a spokesman for the agency, said a worker had filed a complaint about the work conditions on the Albany project.

“Once a complaint was registered, a walk-through inspection was conducted by the Savannah Area Office,” D’Aquino said in a phone interview Tuesday morning. “After the inspection and interviews with workers at the job site, a determination was made that the violations did warrant action by OSHA. The company now has 15 business days to either comply with regulations or contest the findings.

“They may have corrected some of the issues at the site, and it may take a little while longer to meet other requirements. If they do indeed comply, that makes them potentially eligible to have the citations reclassified, deleted altogether or there could be a reduction in the amount of the proposed penalties, which in this case are $58,800. Or they could just pay the fine.”

D’Aquino said that since Georgia and Florida fall under federal OSHA jurisdiction, there would be no issues concerning the crossing of state lines in the Albany case. He noted that four states in the Southeast region — North and South Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee — have “state plan” OSHA offices that operate independently but with “federal oversight.”

Workers with compliance questions may contact OSHA’s nationwide hotline at (800) 321-OSHA (6742). The Savannah Area Office, which is responsible for most work sites south of Atlanta, may be contacted at (912) 652-4393.