Fines Now Total Nearly One Million Dollars

APWU News

Issuing its third set of citations in less than a week, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) charged the USPS with five counts of “willful” safety violations [PDF] in Bedford Park, IL on May 5. The latest citations bring the Postal Service’s total fines for these violations to nearly $1 million.

The Postal Service willfully exposed employees to hazards associated with live electrical parts, OSHA said. Postal workers were found working on live machinery with more than 480 volts of electricity without being provided nonconductive head protection, voltage-rated gloves, flame resistant clothing, or face shields to prevent injury from electric arcs. In addition, employees were not properly trained to work on machines.

OSHA issued the Postal Service $210,000 in fines for knowingly exposing employees to the risk of electric shock. The most recent citations follow OSHA fines of more than $500,000 dollars in Providence, RI and more than $200,000 in Denver, CO for similar electrical safety violations.

The APWU expects more safety violations to be issued by OSHA in the coming weeks. Check www.apwu.org for updated information.