FORT CAMPBELL, KY – A federal workplace safety inspection of a lawn service contractor’s operations at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, has discovered that the company blatantly disregarded safety requirements in order to save time, including removing safety guards on industrial lawnmowers.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found that PRIDE Industries, a Roseville, California-based contractor working at the base, knowingly allowed workers to operate zero-turn radius mowers without belt guards installed. OSHA inspectors identified several serious violations, including:
- Exposing employees to potential lacerations and serious eye injuries by permitting workers to operate mowers with shoot guards in a tied-up position.
- Putting workers at risk of crushing injuries or death in a rollover by allowing employees to operate zero-turn mowers on slopes steeper than 15 degrees.
- Exposing employees to potential lacerations by allowing unsafe operation of a bench grinder.
- Allowing workers to operate a tractor without a cover on the power take-off (PTO) shaft.
Following its inspection on September 9, 2022, OSHA proposed $198,667 in penalties for these violations.
“Violations like those found in this inspection demonstrate the company’s blatant disregard for their workers’ safety,” said OSHA Area Office Director William Cochran in Nashville, Tennessee. “Their failure to adhere to established safety standards needlessly exposed workers to potentially dangerous and fatal hazards.”
PRIDE Industries was founded in 1966 to provide employment opportunities for young adults with developmental disabilities. Today, the company is one of the nation’s leading employers of people with disabilities, with operations in 15 states and the District of Columbia.
The company has 15 business days from receipt of the penalties and citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
For information on developing a workplace safety and health program, visit OSHA’s website. Employers can also contact the agency for information about OSHA’s compliance assistance resources and for free help on complying with OSHA standards.
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