Lynnway Auto Auction in Billerica, Mass., has agreed to pay $200,000 in OSHA fines and “implement significant safety measures” to address hazards found after a May 2017 incident in which an SUV struck and killed five people at its facility, OSHA said.
After the May 3, 2017, incident, OSHA cited Lynnway Auto Auction for 16 alleged safety violations and hit the business with $267,000 in proposed fines. Lynnway contested OSHA’s findings.
On April 9, OSHA announced that it had reached a settlement with the auto auction, in which the facility agrees to correct hazards, implement new safety measures and pay $200,000 in penalties.
As part of the settlement, Lynnway will:
- Designate and mark non-driving locations, walkways and crosswalks
- Install barriers in the auto auction area
- Establish and enforce speed limits and a safe-driving program
- Periodically evaluate employees’ driving capabilities and licenses
- Provide employee training
- Review all vehicle accidents and near-misses
“The settlement commits Lynnway to correct existing hazards, and requires it to take continuous action to help prevent future employee injuries or fatalities,” OSHA Regional Administrator Galen Blanton said.
TrueBlue Inc., doing business as PeopleReady, which supplied temporary employees to Lynnway, also agreed to correct hazards, implement a traffic-control program and pay a $12,675 penalty. OSHA cited the staffing firm for exposing employees to struck-by hazards.
The Lynnway settlement became a final order of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission on April 5. The TrueBlue settlement agreement became final on March 5.
“The processes put into place by this agreement have the goal of ensuring that such needless loss of lives will not occur again,” Regional Solicitor of Labor Michael Felsen said.
