Region 4 News Release: 13-1799-ATL (227)
Sept. 9, 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

Medical training facility cited by US Department of Labor's OSHA for
failure-to-abate and serious safety violation, $62,000 in proposed fines

MCDONOUGH, Ga. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Atlanta Health Careers Institute LLC for one serious and one failure-to-abate health violation following a May inspection at the company's facility in McDonough. The agency initiated the inspection as a follow-up to an August 2012 inspection and has proposed penalties of $62,000.

The failure-to-abate violation, with $60,000 in penalties, involves the employer's failure to train workers in the bloodborne pathogen program. The employer was cited for the same violation in 2012 and failed to correct the deficiency. A failure-to-abate citation is issued when an employer fails to fix or address previously cited hazardous conditions, practices or noncompliant equipment.

The serious safety violation, with $2,000 in penalties, involves the employer's failure to make the Hepatitis B vaccine available to workers exposed to potential bloodborne pathogen hazards. 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.

"This employer had plenty of time and assistance to provide employees the necessary training on bloodborne pathogens, yet it chose not to correct its violation and continued to expose its workers to hazards," said Bill Fulcher, director of OSHA's Atlanta-East Area Office. "It's imperative that management immediately address and eliminate this violation."

Atlanta Health Careers Institute LLC, a private medical training institute, has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's Atlanta-East area director, or contest the citations and penalties 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-East Area Office at 770-493-6644.

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.