The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Dyke Industries Inc., an Atlanta window and door manufacturer, for safety violations for exposing workers to fire, amputations and other serious safety hazards. Koosharem LLC, dba Select Staffing, and Staff Right Inc. — firms that provided the manufacturer with temporary employees — were each cited for exposing workers to unguarded machinery.

Dyke Industries was cited for 11 serious and one other-than-serious safety violation. According to OSHA, an investigation in March found the employer failed to provide safe conditions and procedures to prevent machinery from starting up and injuring workers during maintenance and servicing; failed to train workers to use fire extinguishers; and exposed workers to fire and explosion hazards due to combustible dust accumulation.

Dyke Industries’ proposed penalties total $58,000.

OSHA cited Staff Right and Select Staffing each with one serious violation and one other-than-serious citation for exposing employees to amputation and struck-by hazards while performing banding operations. The citations claim machine guarding was not provided to protect the operator and other employees in the machine areas. Proposed penalties total $4,000 for each firm.

“This employer was taking a wait-and-see approach to safety,” said Bill Fulcher, director of OSHA’s Atlanta-East Area office. “Employers must proactively identify and remove workplace hazards — not wait for OSHA to open an inspection or even worse, for a worker to be injured or killed. All workers, including temporary employees, deserve a safe and healthy workplace.”

Each company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, request a conference with OSHA’s area director or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.