Mail distribution center hit with OSHA fines

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration said it has proposed nearly $80,000 in fines against the U.S. Postal Service in Greenville, South Carolina, for exposing employees to unsafe working conditions in a mail distribution center.

OSHA last week issued the Greenville Postal Service one willful citation and two serious safety citations for blocking and restricting traffic flow in aisles shared by industrial trucks and pedestrians, allowing workers to operate forklifts without wearing seat belts, and failing to protect workers from falls of up to 8 feet, the agency said Thursday in a statement.

The agency proposed $79,900 in fines, which the Postal Service must pay within 15 working days of receipt unless it chooses to contest the citations, OSHA said in the citation.

“Exposing employees to being hit by vehicular traffic while working in warehouses and distribution centers is never acceptable,” Darlene Fossum, director of OSHA's Columbia, South Carolina, office said it a statement. “Management must ensure safety is the top priority when expanding, modifying and consolidating working environments.”

The U.S. Postal Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment.