OSHA has cited Northwood, N.H.-based Quartz and Stone Creations of New Hampshire for crushing and other hazards following an employee fatality. The agency cited the stone-products manufacturer for 12 serious and six other-than-serious violations, resulting in a total of $87,516 in penalties.
An OSHA inspection took place after a stone slab fell off a storage rack and crushed an employee. Investigators cited Quartz and Stone Creations of New Hampshire for using improperly modified forklifts, which adversely affected lifting capacity and safe operation. OSHA also cited the manufacturer for failing to remove defective forklifts from service, for inadequate inspections of forklifts, for failing to train employees, and for allowing employees to work and pass beneath elevated forklift booms. The agency issued additional citations for an inadequate lockout/tagout program, a lack of eye protection, electric shock hazards, inaccessible emergency exit ladders, unmarked or obscured exit signs, a lack of silica exposure monitoring, and deficient monitoring records, among other violations.
“Complying with OSHA regulations and manufacturers’ recommendations for forklift equipment could have prevented this tragedy,” Rosemarie Cole, OSHA’s New Hampshire area director, said in a news release. “Employers are legally obligated to ensure that the equipment workers use is safe to operate and that hazards within the workplace have been identified and corrected to prevent potentially fatal or disabling injuries.”
The stone-products manufacturer has 15 business days from the receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with its OSHA area director, or contest the findings.
