Pier 1 Imports in Fort Worth cited by OSHA for safety hazards at two sites; fines total $86,100

Employer's name: Pier 1 Imports Inc., Heritage Parkway in Mansfield, Texas, and Trinity Blvd. in Fort Worth

Citations issued: Sept. 18, 2015

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Pier 1 Imports for three serious and two repeated violations. Two serious violations were cited at the Fort Worth distribution center involved failing to ensure proper training for forklift operators and proper inspections for forklifts. A serious violation at the Mansfield location involved damaged storage racks. The repeated violations at both locations were for failing to provide forklift operator training. OSHA began the inspection after being notified that an electric pallet jack had struck an employee who was subsequently hospitalized. The report of the hospitalization is part of the new record keeping requirements as of Jan. 1, 2015 that requires a company to report the hospitalization of one or more employees, amputation or loss of an eye within 24 hours to OSHA.

Proposed Penalties: $86,100

Quote: "Pier 1 Imports exposed workers to hazardous but preventable conditions and ultimately jeopardized the safety of their workers in doing so," said Jack Rector, OSHA's area director in Fort Worth, Texas. "This complaint and report of a hospitalization have identified continual hazards which require immediate corrective action to prevent further injuries."

Link to the citations: https://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/Pier1_Imports_1060459_09172015.pdf and https://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/Pier1_Imports_1060413_09172015.pdf

Information: Pier 1, headquartered in Fort Worth, is a home furnishing retailer with stores and distribution centers throughout the U.S. and employs about 23,000 workers nationwide. The company has 15 business days from receipt of their citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

To ask questions; obtain compliance assistance; file a complaint or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Fort Worth Area Office at 817-581-7303. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.