NC OSHA Cites Fire Department

Posted by: Curt Varone September 17, 2014 0

The Winston-Salem Fire Department has been cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Division of the North Carolina Department of Labor over three OSHA violations. Two of the citations were considered serious, incurring $3250 fines each. The third was consider not serious and no fine was imposed.

The same citations could probably be brought against a large percentage of fire departments in the United States.

The serious violations allege that some personal protective equipment (turnout gear) was damaged, and that the department’s exposure control plan had not be updated annually as required by OSHA. The non-serious violation alleged that personnel were not trained on hazardous materials in the workplace under the HazCom standard (29 CFR 1910.1200). The department completed the training in June, 2014 but it was supposed to have been completed in December, 2013.

About Curt Varone

Curt Varone has over 45 years of fire service experience and 35 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014, 4th ed. 2022) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.
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