March 23, 2016

OSHA cites McAllen company for safety failures that exposed workers,
community to serious dangers of anhydrous ammonia
Lineage Logistics, LLC fined $58K for nine violations

Employer name: Lineage Logistics LLC

Inspection Site: 4000 West Military Highway, McAllen, Texas

Citations issued: March 15, 2016

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated the October 2015 inspection following a report of ammonia release at Lineage Logistics, a warehousing and logistics company. The agency cited the company for nine serious violations, six for process safety management standards violations, two for not fit testing or providing a medical evaluation of employees before they could wear respirators, and one serious violation was issued for not having a functioning emergency safety eyewash station.

Proposed penalties: The fines total $58,000

Quote: "Employers that fail to follow the minimum requirements of the PSM standards could release hazardous chemicals, exposing workers, endangering the surrounding community and opening themselves to scrutiny from federal law enforcement agencies," said Travis Clark, OSHA's Area Director in the Corpus Christi office. "Having the right equipment, procedures and plans in place to prevent hazards in the workplace must be an employer's top priority."

Citations: http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/Lineage_Logistics_LLC_1099235.pdf

Information: Lineage Logistics has 15 business days from receipt of its citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

To ask questions; obtain compliance assistance; file a complaint or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Corpus Christi office at 361-888-3420. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

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Media Contacts:

Diana Petterson, 972-850-4710, petterson.diana@dol.gov
Juan Rodriguez, 972-850-4703, rodriguez.juan@dol.gov

Release Number: 16-491-DAL

U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The department's Reasonable Accommodation Resource Center converts departmental information and documents into alternative formats, which include Braille and large print. For alternative format requests, please contact the department at (202) 693-7828 (voice) or (800) 877-8339 (federal relay).