W8 Shipping LLC allowed employees at a Port of Savannah to work under dangerous conditions, including working with suspended automobiles and motorcycles overhead, putting them at risk of being struck or crushed by falling vehicles lifted by forklifts during loading and unloading, a press release from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) said. W8, cited for 24 violations, faces about $380,000 in penalties, the release said.
“For decades, established safety standards have been in place to protect workers from dangers that W8 Shipping’s employees face, and yet the company chose to ignore federal regulations,” OSHA Acting Area Director Heather Sanders in Savannah, GA, is quoted in the release as saying. “When it comes to workplace safety, shortcuts are the quickest route to serious injuries or worse.”
Inspectors also cited the company for allegedly failing to provide necessary eye protection, neglecting to address flammable wood dust buildup, permitting employees to operate powered industrial trucks without proper training or evaluation and allowing workers to work at heights without fall protection, the press release said.
OSHA issued citations to W8 Shipping for 22 serious violations, one willful violation, and one other-than-serious violation, with proposed penalties totaling $379,709. The company has a 15-day window to respond to the citations and penalties. The company can choose to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, the release said.
Formerly known as G&G Auto Sales LLC, W8 Shipping LLC rebranded in 2010 as an international freight forwarder providing global shipping services. The company operates in multiple locations across the United States and has about 43 employees at its Garden City, GA, facility, the press release said.
