THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, June 20, 1996 TAG: 9606200411
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY CATHERINE KOZAK, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: 46 lines
Penalties for safety violations found in January in Dare County offices are expected to be reduced by more than $3,500, to $5,175, county manager Terry Wheeler says.
Inspectors from the Division of Occupational Safety and Health Administration for the state Department of Labor found five serious violations and 16 minor violations in work conditions in the county public works department, the reverse osmosis plant in Kill Devil Hills, the county courthouse and the detention center.
The violations were found when they conducted surprise inspections Jan. 23 to 26.
Originally, the fines amounted to $8,625. In recent negotiations with OSHA officials, the county negotiated the penalty down to $5,175.
``It was reduced as a result of a good-faith effort on our part,'' said Thomas O'Neal, Dare County personnel director.
Labor department spokeswoman Marge Howell said the final fine will be determined next week.
OSHA was created by federal law in 1973 to protect public and private employees from workplace hazards. Many states, including North Carolina, have since established state OSHAs that operate under the umbrella of federal regulations, but have broader state regulatory power.
Dare County OSHA violations included lack of fire prevention measures, unlabeled load capacity in buildings, power equipment that could restart automatically after a power failure, unsafe use of welding and cutting tools, hazardous electrical wiring and circuitry, incomplete or absent employer documentation of OSHA rules, and inadequate posting of safety signs.
O'Neal said the labor department agreed to give the county an added six months to remedy electrical problems in the Dare County Courthouse, which was built in 1904.
Most of the other problems have been or are in the process of being abated, he said. County workers have done all the work, O'Neal added, and he does not expect to hire any outside contractors to complete the work. O'Neal said he has not tabulated the number of county hours invested in the corrections.
O'Neal said OSHA fines will be taken out of the 1995-96 county budget, which included a line-item amount for OSHA-related expenses. Howell said the money from penalties goes directly into the state general fund.
Dare County was fined $1,000 in 1994 for two serious violations at an EMS facility. Other OSHA inspections in 1989 and April 1996 resulted in no penalties, Howell said. by CNB