OSHA Fines Merrifield U.S. Postal Facility for Safety Hazards

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA -- The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued citations to the postal service facility in Merrifield for three repeat and two serious safety violations.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) began the inspection at the facility, at 8409 Lee Highway, on June 13 in response to a complaint alleging employee exposure to "struck-by hazards" -- inadequate lighting and use of defective equipment -- at the Merrifield distribution center.

The U.S. Postal Service faces penalties of $178,156.

Struck-by objects is another leading cause of construction-related deaths. Approximately 75 percent of struck-by fatalities involve heavy equipment such as trucks or cranes. Safety and health programs must take into account the many ways struck-by accidents can occur. The following related hazards cause the most struck-by injuries:

• Vehicles
• Falling/Flying Objects
• Constructing Masonry Walls

The repeat violations relate to the postal service allowing workers to operate powered industrial trucks without seatbelts, employees exposed to caught-between hazards, and powered industrial trucks used without being inspected. USPS was cited previously for similar violations in 2014 and 2015.

“Thousands of workers are injured each year – some fatally – while operating powered industrial equipment," said Stanley Dutko Jr., director at OSHA’s Norfolk Area Office. "Employers like the USPS, whose workers move materials with powered industrial equipment, must that ensure workers are trained properly, loads are stable, and pathways are well lit and clear of obstructions to prevent injury. It is every employer’s legal responsibility to provide workers with a safe and healthful workplace.”

The citation can be viewed here.

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 Norfolk Area Office at 757- 441-3820.

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.

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