A Scarborough United States Postal Service Processing and Distribution Center is facing up to $430,000 in fines and seven citations for safety violations found during an inspection by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) last December.

According to a press release issued by the Assistant Secretary of Labor, the citations were related to the USPS's failure at the Scarborough facility to train its employees on how to work safely with live electrical parts.

Of the seven citations, six were "willful" - the most severe category of violations handed out by OSHA. The violations included failing to provide workers with proper training and safety equipment for working with and around sorting equipment. Workers are exposed to live electrical currents from this equipment and can be injured by shock, arc blast and arc flash.  

The USPS also received one repeat violation for improperly storing pallets, pallet jacks and letter trays in front of disconnect switches. In 2007, a distribution center in Toledo, Ohio, received a citation for the same violation.

The 243,000-square-foot facility also lacked proper warning signs as required by federal regulations.

On-Going Electrical Safety Issues

Recently, the USPS has received several citations for violations related to electrical safety. In the last 10 years, at least eight USPS employees have suffered injuries in electrical arc flash and blast accidents. OSHA has given the U.S. Postal Service 29 citations for safety violations related to electrical hazards, with 16 of these citations being given since October 2009.

Since the USPS has not taken sufficient action to resolve the electrical safety hazards at its processing and distribution centers, the Department of Labor has asked the Occupational Safety and Health Review Committee to take additional action against the service. This includes requiring the USPS to conduct annual inspections for the next five years at all of its distribution centers to ensure compliance with electrical safety requirements.

All employers have a legal duty to provide their employees with a safe working environment. USPS employees who believe they are working in an unsafe environment should report their concerns to OSHA. Workers who have been harmed in an electrical accident or other type of accident while working at a USPS facility should contact an experienced workers' comp attorney to learn more about their options.

Related Source:

Labor Department orders electrical fixes at 350 postal facilities