OSHA Fines University of Miami Dining Hall For Safety Violations

Coral Gables, FL (WorkersCompensation.com)- Earlier this month the cafeteria at the University of Miami was in hot water when OSHA cited Compass Group USA Inc., the company that operates the dining hall through its Chartwells Dining Division.

According to the Citation and Notification of Penalty, the company was fined for exposing its employees that work at Mahoney Pearson Dining Hall to hazards related to failing to provide proper facilities for quick rinse-offs for workers who work with cleaning chemicals; and for not providing efficient training to the employees that deal with chemicals and failing to provide exit routes in case of an emergency. Compass Group USA Inc. faces $134,880 in penalties.

“Employers are required to ensure employees who work with hazardous chemicals know the dangers associated with those chemicals and provide them with readily available facilities to minimize injuries,” according to a statement from Condell Eastmond, the director of OSHA’s Fort Lauderdale Area Office.

Michael D’Aquino, a Regional media spokesperson for the Office of Public Affairs for the U.S. Department of Labor told WorkersCompensation.com that the inspection that Compass Group USA was cited for back in August was an un-programmed inspection. “Inspections of employers at multiemployer worksites whose operations are not directly affected by the subject of the conditions identified in the complaint, accident, or referral are un-programmed,” he said. Also, even though this was the first time the OSHA Fort Lauderdale Office issued citations to Compass Group USA at this location, it is not the first citation for the company overall. 

“In March 2015, repeated citations were affirmed for inspection number 996291 regarding a worksite in Wood Dale, Illinois,” he said. Basically, they involved the same violations; so when the company was cited for the violations at Mahoney Pearson Dining Hall all three of their offenses were classified as repeat violations.

Since 2014, Compass had been fined 9 times in 20 workplace inspections. Before the citation Florida, the largest was $38,000 for failures at Canteen Vending Services located in Bloomingdale, Illinois.

A Chartwells spokesperson told the Miami Herald “the health and safety of our associates and our guests is always our top priority.This is an ongoing investigation, and we are currently working with OSHA on further examining the details of the report. As a standard practice, we immediately act upon and strive to remediate any potential safety hazard that is brought to our attention at any time.”

Compass Group USA has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and proposed penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or dispute the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

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