US Postal Service facility faces OSHA fines

A U.S. Postal Service facility in Hanover Township, Pennsylvania, is facing $236,783 in workplace safety fines for failing to prevent blocked, obstructed exits and other safety violations, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced Thursday.

Responding to a complaint, OSHA initiated an investigation at the USPS’s Lehigh Valley Processing and Distribution Center and determined the facility failed to keep exit routes free and unobstructed at two of the sorting hub’s loading dock areas and cited the USPS with one willful violation, according to the statement.

Investigators also found portable fire extinguishers were not readily accessible and there was inadequate workspace in front of the electrical equipment. OSHA issued two repeat citations related to these workplace violations, as the agency cited the location for the same hazards in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Los Angeles. In addition, the agency cited the USPS with two serious violations for additional safety hazards, according to the statement.

USPS has not issued a statement on the citations.