Lifefleet in North Lima faces 14 health violations

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

A North Lima ambulance business faces more than $235,000 in fines and 14 health violations after an inspection by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

OSHA cited Lifefleet on July 31 for four willful, seven serious and three other-than-serious health violations after a complaint prompted a February 2015 inspection. Proposed penalties total $235,800.

Lifefleet LLC, 11000 Market St., did not properly protect its employees from exposure to blood and other bodily fluids, according to OSHA.

Exposure to blood and bodily fluids could lead to serious diseases, such as hepatitis.

“As a medical-service provider, Lifefleet should be setting the standard in employee protection – not ignoring it,” Howard Eberts, OSHA’s Cleveland Area director, said in a statement.

Inspectors found Lifefleet did not protect workers from blood-borne pathogens by:

Failing to clean, launder or dispose of personal protective equipment and clothing at no cost to employees.

Not ensuring medical evaluations and procedures, including blood tests, were made available quickly to employees after an exposure.

Not providing employees with the results of post-exposure evaluation tests.

Failing to train workers on health hazards and precautions to prevent exposure.

A Lifefleet representative could not be reached to comment late Tuesday.

OSHA determined that Lifefleet did not require employees to use gloves and face masks when contacting infectious materials. The company failed to train workers about hazardous workplace chemicals and did not review and update the exposure-control plan annually. It also failed to establish and maintain a sharps injury log.

Inspectors also found the company exposed workers to slip-and-fall hazards from standing water in the ambulance bay and obstructed exit routes.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director in the Cleveland Area Office, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.