OSHA cites Massachusetts auto facility for safety-related fatalities

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Wednesday said it cited Lynnway Auto Auction Inc.’s Billerica, Massachusetts-based auto auction facility for electrical, struck-by and other workplace safety hazards, with proposed penalties of $267,081, after five fatalities.

OSHA inspected the facility after five people were “struck by a sport utility vehicle” and died due to their injuries. The agency issued 16 citations for motor vehicle hazards, blocked exit routes, violations of the hazard communication standard and recordkeeping deficiencies, OSHA said in a statement.

“This company was cited in 2014 for exposing employees to similar hazards,” Galen Blanton, Boston-based OSHA regional administrator, said in a statement. “It is critically important that employers remain vigilant about safety and implement required safety measures.”

Lynnway Auto Auction could not be immediately reached for comment.