When operating a business in the state of Ohio, it is an owner's responsibility to ensure that workplace safety laws, which keep employees protected from harm, are followed. If a business does not follow these mandatory regulations employees can be at a heightened risk for a workplace injury.
In an effort to help put a stop to workplace accidents, the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration, known as OSHA, can inspect and fine businesses which fail to uphold worker safety laws. OSHA recently inspected a Home Depot store in Reynoldsburg, Ohio and issued several safety violations, some of which are repeat violations. In total, the violations noted in their inspection could come with penalties upwards of $150,000.
The store was cited with seven repeat violations, at least one of which was considered a serious and potentially life-threatening hazard. Violations included issues with exit routes, wiring and a serious concern with poor safeguards around receptacles, which left employees open to the threat of accidental electric shock. They also received violations for improper handling of records.
Many of these violations are concerned repeat violations, meaning that another Home Depot store throughout the country had been cited for these very concerns sometime over the last five years.
Amongst the most serious violations, however, was a failure to properly bond and ground flammable liquids during storage and transportation. This is considered a potentially life-threatening situation, and one that an employer certainly ought to have known about and enforced rigorously.
While the threat of penalties may inspire many companies to comply with state and federal safety regulations, the truth is that many businesses continue to have unsafe work environments, which pose a threat to their employee's well-being. When an employee is injured as a result of unsafe work conditions, they have the option to pursue legal action against the employer for financial compensation. With the assistance of an experienced workers compensation lawyer, injured workers may be able to receive compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and the pain and suffering they endured.
Source: MyFoxAtlanta.com, "OSHA fines Home Depot $150,700; repeat safety hazards," Sept. 10, 2013
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