A federal regulatory agency has proposed penalties of nearly USD164,800 for unsafe forklift operations and other violations at a facility of Central Transport International Inc.

The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited 17 safety violations - including four repeats - after inspections at the trucking firm's Hillside, Illinois facility. Employees had complained to OSHA they were not provided with forklift training and a forklift incident led to a hazardous material spill.

"Employers who are cited for repeat violations demonstrate a lack of commitment to workplace safety and health standards," says Diane Turek, director of the OSHA area office in Des Plaines. "Deficient forklifts and improperly handled chemicals can lead to serious injuries or death. All employers must take the necessary steps to eliminate hazards from the workplace."

The OSHA office conducted inspections from 23 June to 1 December and issued the citations and notice of proposed penalty on 5 December. Central Transport is required to pay in full for uncontested penalties not later than 19 December.

OSHA says Central Transport exposed workers to hazards by allowing them to operate forklifts that remained in service even after deficiencies were noted.

Further, OSHA says Central Transport failed to "train and evaluate forklift drivers, maintain forklift name plates in legible condition, label hazardous material containers, maintain the mechanic shop maintenance area in a dry condition, provide workers with training on hazardous chemicals and provide material data safety sheets for workers' reference."

Warren, Michigan-based Central Transport operates a network of nearly 200 customer service centers for the US and Canadian markets as a subsidiary of CenTra Inc, also of Warren.

Meanwhile, another OSHA office reduced penalties for Anchor Glass Container Corp of Warner Robins, Georgia to USD15,000 from USD20,000 after an informal 6 December settlement meeting.

A flash fire on 20 July near an outdoor propane filling station inflicted Anchor employee Jason Talton with burn injuries.

On 8 November, OSHA cited Anchor for three safety violations including failure to provide forklift operators with initial training on safe methods to refuel the equipment.

OSHA is an agency of the US Department of Labour.