One New Jersey employer recently felt the wrath of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
An investigation was initiated in October of 2014, in response to a complaint, leading to OSHA citing Brantley Brothers Moving & Storage Co. Inc. for 14 serious violations that included:
- Safety and health precautions — such as using a regulated area and personal protective equipment, and conducting exposure monitoring — were not in place for workers removing pipes and pipe insulation containing asbestos;
- Asbestos was not identified and labeled in the storage warehouse;
- Employees were not trained on the proper handling of asbestos and related health hazards; and
- Workers were exposed to fire hazards due to improperly maintained exit routes.
“In 2015, nobody should be surprised to learn that asbestos exposure is dangerous,” said Kris Hoffman, director of OSHA’s Parsippany Area Office. “Brantley Brothers required its employees to remove dry asbestos from piping without any personal protection equipment. Asbestos exposure can cause cancer and asbestos is, which is a serious lung disease, so having untrained and unprotected workers conduct such work, is both irresponsible and totally unacceptable.”
The company was given 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, request a conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety & Health Review Commission.
Author Kori Shafer-Stack, Editor, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. is an expert in post-injury response procedures and part of the Amaxx team helping companies reduce their workers compensation costs by 20% to 50%. www.reduceyourworkerscomp.com. Contact: kstack@reduceyourworkerscomp.com.
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