OSHA finds Osceola US Postal facility exposed workers to electrical, chemical hazards; proposes $44K in fines

Employer name: U.S. Postal Service, 104 S. Fillmore St., Osceola, Iowa

Citations issued: July 29, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Des Moines Area Office has cited the postal facility for one repeated and four serious safety violations after a February 2016 agency investigation. Acting on a complaint alleging safety concerns at the facility, investigators found the employer:

• Exposed workers to electrical hazards by using a re-locatable power tap improperly and creating a potential fire hazard.
• ­Allowed the use of damaged extension cords, exposing workers to the danger of electrical shock.
• Failed to train workers about using chemicals to maintain floors believed to contain asbestos, and how their use could create a respiratory hazard.

Quote: “Our investigation found the U.S. Postal Service in Osceola exposed workers to electrical hazards, including damaged electrical cords, and failed to adequately train them about hazardous use of floor-cleaning chemicals. Every employer, small or large, is responsible for ensuring safe working conditions for its employees,” said Larry Davidson, OSHA’s area director in Des Moines.

Proposed Penalties: $44,000

View Citations here.

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 Des Moines Area Office at 515-284-4794.