Follow-up safety inspection at site of 2019 workplace fatality finds Greenville recycling center continues to put workers at risk

GREENVILLE, GA – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has again cited a Greenville recycling company, where a 44-year-old welder employed by a contractor in the facility suffered fatal injuries in 2019 amid safety violations.

The welder was an employee of National Fabricating Services – operating as Quality Machine and Fabrication Inc. – when the fatality occurred on the TAV Holdings Inc. work site. OSHA conducts follow-up inspections when fatalities occur, and in its return visit to the site, investigators found repeat violations.

TAV Holdings failed to ensure workers completed training before operating telescoping forklifts and failed to examine the forklifts before placing them in service. OSHA cited the company for similar violations in 2019 after a forklift struck and caused an unsupported beam to fall and fatally injure the welder.

The agency also cited TAV Holdings with eight serious violations for the following hazards:

• Allowing workers to operate powered industrial trucks without a seat belt and failing to identify load capacities on forklifts.
• Dismounting powered industrial trucks with the load elevated.
• Electrical cords and scrap metal on the shop floor in high-traffic areas.
• Blocked access to fire extinguishers in the welding area and failure to conduct monthly fire extinguisher inspections.
• Failing to ensure the use of welding curtains during sheet-metal welding.
• Electrical boxes not designed and installed for outdoor use.

 OSHA proposed $112,212 in penalties for violations found in the follow-up inspection.

“Our most recent inspection found that TAV Holdings again disregarded its legal requirement to provide employees with a safe and healthful workplace,” said OSHA Atlanta-West Area Office Director Jeffery Stawowy in Atlanta. “Safety failures cost a worker his life in 2019. The safety culture of the company has to change, and we will continue to monitor and hold the host company accountable until change occurs.”

Headquartered in Greenville, TAV Holdings Inc. recycles and processes nonferrous metals and develops separation technology for the recycling industry.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Learn more about forklift hazards and solutions to protect operators.