OSHA Cites Ashley Furniture a Third Time

October 20, 2015  by in Industry, Legal   

This marks the third time this year the company has received citations from OSHA for safety violations in its facilities.

The company faces an additional $431,000 in fines for the latest alleged infractions concerning the Whitehall, Wis., upholstery factory. The latest fines are in addition to the more than $1.8 million levied against the company earlier this year.

OSHA issued Ashley Furniture one willful, five repeated and two serious citations Tuesday. The violations stem from an April inspection under the agency’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program. Ashley’s Arcadia, Wis., location was cited in January and July for violations.

During the Whitehall factory inspection, OSHA determined the company failed to implement procedures to prevent machines from unintentional start-up when operators changed blades, cleaned machines and cleared jams exposing workers to dangerous machine operating parts. The company failed to have operators use locking devices to prevent unexpected machine movement, a procedure known as lockout/tagout. This violation is among OSHA's most frequently cited and often results in death or permanent disability.

"Workers risked amputation injuries each time they serviced the machinery," said Mark Hysell, OSHA's area director. "Ashley Furniture failed to implement required safety procedures to protect machine operators until after OSHA opened its inspection. The company must make immediate, enforceable safety improvements at its facilities nationwide."

The agency cited Ashley Furniture in January 2015 for 38 safety violations. Proposed penalties total $1,766,000. OSHA issued the citations following an investigation that found workers at the Arcadia, Wis., plant experienced more than 1,000 OSHA recordable work-related injuries in the previous three and one-half years. A recordable injury requires medical treatment beyond first aid, or results in death, lost work hours, restricted work or a job transfer.

The agency also proposed penalties of $83,200 in July 2015 as a result of its investigation of an amputation injury in March. OSHA placed the company in the Severe Violator Enforcement Program for failure to address safety hazards. As a result of the SVEP designation, OSHA inspections are open at Ashley's facilities in California, Pennsylvania, Mississippi and North Carolina.

Ashley Furniture has contested all citations issued, and a hearing before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission will be scheduled.