Georgia farm cited for safety issues after worker fatally pinned by forklift, OSHA says
A Georgia farm was cited with safety violations after officials say a worker was fatally injured in a forklift accident.
The worker was pinned between a forklift load and a metal railing while doing maintenance work on a conveyor system at a Pearson Farm’s facility in Fort Valley, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
After investigating the incident, OSHA cited the farm, which grows peaches and pecans, earlier this month for several safety violations, the release says.
The farm is cited for “exposing employees to struck-by hazards,” and to “fall, chemical and amputation hazards,” the release says.
OSHA says employers didn’t have a system to detect “anhydrous ammonia leaks” or come up with an “emergency response plan.”
It also didn’t train employees for what to do in the case of a leak, have “effective machine guarding” or use procedures to control “hazardous energy,” OSHA says.
The company faces $128,004 in penalties for the violations, according to OSHA.
The farm has 15 business days after getting the citation to comply or contest OSHA’s findings, the release says. The citation was issued on Feb. 3.
“Employers must assess their workplaces to identify hazards and take corrective actions to eliminate serious or life-threatening injuries and illnesses,” OSHA acting area director Condell Eastmond said in the release “A comprehensive safety and health program should be implemented to ensure controls are in place to protect workers.”
The farm has not released a statement in response to the citation and is not commenting at this time, Angela Young, who does marketing for the farm, told McClatchy News.
Fort Valley is in Peach County, about 27 miles from Macon.
This story was originally published February 10, 2020 at 5:31 PM with the headline "Georgia farm cited for safety issues after worker fatally pinned by forklift, OSHA says."
