OSHA cited and fined Central Transport “repeat and willful violations” that allegedly endangered worker safety at the company’s facility in Rock Island.
Central Transport LLC employs about 20 people at its truck terminal facility at 324 4th Street in Rock Island, Illinois. The company has about 4,300 workers at 170 locations across the U.S.
“Central Transport has a responsibility to ensure that all equipment used in its facilities is safe and that employees are protected during work activities,” said OSHA area director Thomas Bielema.
After an inspection in March 2014, OSHA investigators said the company failed to remove five forklifts from service when they needed repair. The OSHA citation indicated lights were not working on the forklifts but they remained in service, and a propane tank was not latched to one of those forklifts. Those were labeled willful violations, “committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law’s requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health,” said a statement from OSHA.
Inspectors said they found a metal bar across an exit door in the warehouse, effectively locking it from the inside, prompting a “serious violation” citation from OSHA.
An “other-than-serious” citation was issued because portable fire extinguishers were reportedly not mounted and clearly labeled so they could be easily accessed by employees. Inspectors also said there were also two situations in which employees did not inspect an orange extension cord prior to using it, and the cord was found to be damaged.
Central Transport was also cited by OSHA for three repeat violations. Because guardrails were not in place, the company was accused of failing to provide adequate fall protection at nine dock door openings which were reportedly more than 4 feet above ground. One of the openings was unprotected and the others had small-gauge plastic chain strung across them, the citation said. Central Transport was cited for similar violations in 2010 and 2013 at facilities in Pearl, Mississippi, the citation said.
The second repeat violation citation alleged Central Transport employees failed to perform pre-shift inspections on powered industrial trucks (forklifts). OSHA cited the company in 2010 for similar violations at facilities in Massachusetts and Ohio.
The third repeat violation citation alleged the plug on an orange power cord was missing the ground prong. The company was cited in 2009 for a similar violation at a facility in Georgia.
“Central Transport LLC has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission,” the OSHA statement said.
OSHA proposed fines of $108,020 against Central Transport for the violations cited at the Rock Island facility.
The company had not yet responded to our request for comment regarding the citations.
