Forklift Certification on the Go, Inc.

01/17/2025

NEW INCREASED OSHA PENALTIES:

Below are the maximum penalty amounts, with the annual adjustment for inflation, that may be assessed after Jan. 15, 2025. (See OSHA Memo, Jan. 7, 2025).

2024 Penalty Adjustments
Type of Violation Penalty
* Serious
* Other-Than-Serious
* Posting Requirements $16,550 per violation
* Failure to Abate $16,550 per day beyond the abatement date

Willful or Repeated $165,514 per violation

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01/10/2025

Department of Labor Logo OSHA News Release - Dallas Region
U.S. Department of Labor
December 5, 2024



US Department of Labor finds lack of training, other failures led forklift operator to suffer fatal injuries at Elm Mott tire distribution facility
Mitchell Industrial Tire Co. cited for 1 willful, 11 serious violations, faces $288K in fines



FORT WORTH, TX – A U.S. Department of Labor investigation revealed that proper workplace safety training and correct storage of pallets taller than 16 feet could have prevented the fatal injuries suffered by a forklift operator at a tire distribution center in Elm Mott.

Responding to the June 2024 incident at Mitchell Industrial Tire Co. Inc.'s distribution center, inspectors with the department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration found widespread safety failures that exposed dozens of employees to potentially serious and deadly injuries.

OSHA inspectors learned the forklift operator was struck by a falling pallet of industrial truck tires after the pallet's three-tier rack storage system failed. The system's vertical supports were damaged and the horizontal beam locks were missing. The company was cited for 12 violations, including failing to properly train forklift drivers and improperly storing unbanded pallets higher than 16-feet.

Mitchell Industrial Tire faces $288,299 in proposed penalties.

“Neglecting to train forklift operators properly can lead to devastating consequences, as seen at Mitchell Industrial Tire,” said OSHA Area Director Timothy Minor in Fort Worth, Texas. “The company must comply with safety requirements to protect workers from the many hazards present in warehouses and manufacturing facilities, in line with industry best practices and federal regulations designed to prevent serious injuries and fatalities.”

Founded in 1953, Mitchell Industrial Tire Co. Inc. manufactures solid tires for the material handling industry at its Chattanooga, Tennessee, facility and has three U.S. distribution centers.

Mitchell Industrial Tire has 15 business days from receipt of citation 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.

If your Forklift Operators are not current on their certifications, consider the downsides of neglecting this often-overlooked mandate from OSHA. If you need training done at your location, contact us at 919-665-9978 or email:
[email protected]
Happy to come out and help; remember these certifications are valid for 3 years from the date of training!

06/09/2024

Did You Know?

In just seven months of establishing a National Emphasis Program to evaluate warehousing and distribution center operations, OSHA led 623 inspections and proposed $2.4 million in penalties. Powered industrial truck (including forklift) violations were cited the most for lack of operator training and poor maintenance.

Make certain your operators are both certified and current on their certifications. Remember - certifications are valid for 3 years from date of certification! Contact us today to schedule your training needs.
Email us at: [email protected]

04/04/2023

Every worker is more than a number! Read on.....
Today's issue highlights every worker's right to a safe workplace and fair pay, and to report violations of federal laws. It provides resources to ensure that workers are aware of their rights and empowered to contact OSHA and other agencies within the Department of Labor when they need to protect these rights.

If you believe your workplace rights are being violated, DOL agencies are here to help you, regardless of your immigration status.

OSHA sets and enforces workplace safety and health standards.
To better protect workers and their rights on the job, the agency can issue certifications in support of applications for U and T nonimmigrant status visas when it detects trafficking or other qualifying criminal activities.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) protects the safety and health of mineworkers.

The Wage and Hour Division (WHD) enforces federal laws concerning issues such as fair pay, child labor and family medical leave.

All Workers Have Rights

04/04/2023

Every worker is more than a number!!! Read on......

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10/21/2022

WHEELING, WV – A Millersburg, Ohio, contractor with a long history of disregarding workplace safety standards now faces more than $1 million in penalties after an inspection by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found their employees working at dangerous heights without fall protection, this time at a West Virginia work site.
Responding to a complaint from roofing workers atop a two-story office building without fall protection on March 29, 2022, OSHA found Charm Builders Ltd. allowing employees, some at heights up to 28 feet, to work without required protection, and exposing them to the construction industry’s most deadly hazard.
OSHA issued citations for 12 violations – six egregious-willful, five repeat and one serious – for failing to ensure the use of fall protection, not training employees on fall hazards, allowing unsafe use of portable ladders, and not making sure workers used safety glasses. This marks the 12th time that OSHA has cited Charm Builders since 2009 for violations related to fall hazards. OSHA has placed the contractor on its severe violators list.
The agency has proposed $1,090,231 in penalties.
Don’t become a statistic; click here for information on Fall Protection in the Construction Industry.
https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/OSHA3146.pdf

09/04/2022

One of the "root causes" of workplace injuries, illnesses, and incidents is the failure to identify or recognize hazards that are present, or that could have been anticipated. A critical element of any effective safety and health program is a proactive, ongoing process to identify and assess such hazards.

To identify and assess hazards, employers and workers:

* Collect and review information about the hazards present or likely to be present in the workplace.
* Conduct initial and periodic workplace inspections of the workplace to identify new or recurring hazards.
* Investigate injuries, illnesses, incidents, and close calls/near misses to determine the underlying hazards, their causes, and safety and health program shortcomings.
* Group similar incidents and identify trends in injuries, illnesses, and hazards reported.
* Consider hazards associated with emergency or nonroutine situations.
* Determine the severity and likelihood of incidents that could result for each hazard identified, and use this information to prioritize corrective actions.

Some hazards, such as housekeeping and tripping hazards, can and should be fixed as they are found. Fixing hazards on the spot emphasizes the importance of safety and health and takes advantage of a safety leadership opportunity. One of the things we always require in our training classes is to perform a "Site hazard Review."

07/07/2022

Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards
for Fiscal Year 2021 (Oct. 1, 2020, to Sept. 30, 2021)
The following is a list of the top 10 most frequently cited standards following inspections of worksites by federal OSHA for all industries. OSHA publishes the list to alert employers about these commonly cited standards so they can take steps to find and fix recognized hazards addressed in these and other standards before OSHA shows up. Far too many preventable injuries, illnesses, and deaths occur in the workplace that are related to these top 10 cited standards.

1. Fall Protection, construction (29 CFR 1926.501)
[related safety resources]
2. Respiratory Protection, general industry (29 CFR
1910.134) [related safety resources]
3. Ladders, construction (29 CFR 1926.1053) [related
safety resources]
4. Hazard Communication, general industry (29 CFR
1910.1200) [related safety resources]
5. Scaffolding, construction (29 CFR 1926.451) [related
safety resources]
6. Fall Protection Training, construction (29 CFR
1926.503) [related safety resources]
7. Control of Hazardous Energy (lockout/tagout),
general industry (29 CFR 1910.147) [related safety
resources]
8. Eye and Face Protection, construction (29 CFR
1926.102) [related safety resources]
9. Powered Industrial Trucks, general industry (29 CFR
1910.178) [related safety resources]
10. Machinery and Machine Guarding, general
industry (29 CFR 1910.212) [related safety
resources]

03/25/2022

A series of federal workplace safety and health inspections at four Dollar General stores in Alabama and Georgia in the summer of 2021 found the nationwide discount retailer's long history of exposing employees to dangerous working conditions continues.

Since 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed more than $3.6 million in penalties in 55 inspections at Dollar General locations nationwide. OSHA inspections of the retail stores consistently reveal employee exposure to hazards associated with obstructed exit routes, unstable stacking and blocked working space around electrical panels. These violations represent hazardous and unsafe conditions and place workers at risk of injury.

“Dollar General's long and extensive history of workplace safety violations and repeated failures to protect its workers shows willful recklessness,” said OSHA Regional Administrator Kurt Petermeyer in Atlanta. “Their blatant and continued disregard for the safety of their employees must come to an end.