U.S. Department of Labor’s OSHA Again Cites Wheeler Logging Co. of White Swan, Wash., for Safety Violations

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued failure-to-abate, repeat, serious and other-than-serious citations against Wheeler Logging Co., a contract timber harvesting company, for alleged safety violations found during inspections at the company’s work sites in White Swan and Glenwood, Wash. The citations carry proposed penalties totaling $103,400.

The inspections were initiated as a follow-up to an OSHA fatality inspection conducted in 2005 that found numerous violations resulting in citations issued to Wheeler Logging Co. The company neither responded to the 2005 citations nor paid the previous penalties.

The failure-to-abate citation addresses separation and protection of fuel storage tanks. Violations cited in 2005 have not been corrected. The repeat citations were issued for failure to provide OSHA with copies of OSHA 300 and 301 forms for reporting injuries and accidents, and for failure to label containers of hazardous chemicals.

The serious citation alleges violations related to machine guarding, compressed gas cylinders, electrical hazards and hazard communication.

The other-than-serious citation alleges violations involving fire exits, fire extinguishers and electrical hazards.