OSHA finds workers exposed to hazardous chemicals, compressed gas and falls at discount tire retailer

Employer name: Mavis Tire Supply Corp., dba Mavis Discount Tires
343 South Ave. East
Westfield, New Jersey

Inspection site: 343 South Ave. East, Westfield, New Jersey 

Citations issued: On Sept. 29, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations for one repeat and 7 serious and health and safety violations.

Inspection findings: Acting on an employee allegation that Mavis Tire was exposing workers to safety and health hazards related to water leaking into the workplace’s basement, OSHA contacted the store by phone and fax. The employer failed to respond properly, and the agency initiated a health and safety inspection on March 30, 2016. Once completed, OSHA inspectors issued a repeat citation for obstructed exit routes, a violation for which the agency cited Mavis previously in May 2015.

OSHA also identified serious violations, and cited for:

• Lack of exit signs.
• Failure to properly store compressed gas cylinders.
• Not providing guardrails on an open-sided platform 9 feet above ground level.
• Failure to train workers on chemical safety hazards, and to provide Safety Data Sheets when requested.

Quote: “The hazards cited at Mavis Tire’s Westfield location pose serious safety and health dangers to employees. Improperly stored gas cylinders can leak or explode, unmarked exits can lead to disaster during an emergency and missing guardrails on raised platforms creates the potential for dangerous falls,” said Patricia Jones, director of OSHA’s Avenel Area Office. “This employer needs to address these issues and the other OSHA violations our inspectors found before someone is hurt or killed.”

Proposed penalties: $103,331

The citations can be viewed at: https://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/MavisTireSupplyInc_1135880.pdf

The employer has 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 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 Avenel Office at 732-750-3270. .

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.