Region 4 News Release: 13-738-ATL (92)
May 07, 2013
Contact: Michael D'Aquino Lindsay Williams
Phone: 404-562-2076 404-562-2078
Email: d'aquino.michael@dol.gov williams.lindsay.l@dol.gov

US Department of Labor's OSHA cites Dalton, Ga., carpet manufacturer for
serious safety violations; proposes $73,000 in penalties

DALTON, Ga. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Garland Sales Inc. with 15 serious safety violations after a November 2012 inspection of the company's Dalton facility. The inspection was conducted as a part of the agency's national emphasis program on amputations. Proposed penalties total $73,000.

The employer was cited for workers' exposure to chemical hazards by not developing or implementing a written hazard communication program prior to using chemicals, electrical shock hazards due to improperly marked and assembled electrical control panels, caught-in and struck-by hazards related to unguarded and improperly secured machinery and tripping and burn hazards due to obstructed fire extinguishers. Additional citations were issued for failing to establish or implement a lockout/tagout program with machine-specific procedures and allowing workers to operate forklifts without certifying they were properly trained and evaluated. A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

"Employers have the responsibility to identify and remove hazards from the workplace to protect workers," said Christi Griffin, acting area director of OSHA's Atlanta-West Area Office. "They should not wait for OSHA to conduct an inspection to identify and correct workplace hazards."

Garland Sales Inc., which manufactures rugs and carpets and employs more than 300 workers, has 15 business days from receipt of the 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 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 Atlanta-West Area Office at 678-903-7301.

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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U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The information above is available in large print, Braille or CD from the COAST office upon request by calling 216-893-7828 or TTY 216-893-7755.