August 3, 2016

OSHA finds Osceola US Postal facility exposed workers
to electrical, chemical hazards; proposes $44K in fines

Employer name: U.S. Postal Service, 104 S. Fillmore St., Osceola, Iowa

Citations issued: July 29, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Des Moines Area Office has cited the postal facility for one repeated and four serious safety violations after a February 2016 agency investigation. Acting on a complaint alleging safety concerns at the facility, investigators found the employer:

• Exposed workers to electrical hazards by using a re-locatable power tap improperly and creating a potential fire hazard.
• Allowed the use of damaged extension cords, exposing workers to the danger of electrical shock.
• Failed to train workers about using chemicals to maintain floors believed to contain asbestos, and how their use could create a respiratory hazard.

Quote: "Our investigation found the U.S. Postal Service in Osceola exposed workers to electrical hazards, including damaged electrical cords, and failed to adequately train them about hazardous use of floor-cleaning chemicals. Every employer, small or large, is responsible for ensuring safe working conditions for its employees," said Larry Davidson, OSHA's area director in Des Moines.

Proposed Penalties: $44,000

View Citations here.

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 Des Moines Area Office at 515-284-4794.

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Media Contacts:

Scott Allen, 312-353-6976, allen.scott@dol.gov
Rhonda Burke, 312-353-6976, burke.rhonda@dol.gov

Release Number: 16-1563-KAN

U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The department's Reasonable Accommodation Resource Center converts departmental information and documents into alternative formats, which include Braille and large print. For alternative format requests, please contact the department at (202) 693-7828 (voice) or (800) 877-8339 (federal relay).