Atlanta Journal Constitution Cited for Exposing Workers to Electrocution Hazards

Aug. 7, 2015

Newspaper previously cited in 2011; more than $65K in penalties proposed.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited The Atlanta Journal Constitution for one repeated and five serious safety violations. The serious violations involve failing to develop and utilize procedures to prevent machinery from starting up during maintenance and servicing and exposing workers to live electrical wiring.

OSHA has proposed $65,550 in penalties, for the citations issued to the employer on July 30. The inspection was initiated on March 12, 2015, as part of the agency’s National Emphasis Program on Amputations.

The repeated citation was issued for exposing workers to amputations and being entangled in machinery that lacked safety guards. The newspaper company was previously cited for a similar violation in 2011.

“A lack of safety mechanisms continues to be one of the most frequently cited violations and that is unacceptable,” said William Fulcher, OSHA’s director of the Atlanta-East Area Office. “Management needs to take immediate action to remove these hazards from the workplace.”