Georgia contractor faces $183K in penalties after worker death in Perry

A Georgia contractor faces $183,127 in penalties after a fatal incident at a worksite in Perry in 2019.

Brandon Lee Carroll, age 27, of Griffin, died Oct. 7, 2019 after inhaling a highly flammable lacquer thinner used to resurface a bathtub, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Carroll was employed as a resurfacer for Creative Multicare Inc., a carpet restoration, plumbing and resurfacing contractor based in Stockbridge.

OSHA cited Creative Multicare for one willful and multiple serious violations for exposing employees to safety and health hazards after an investigation following Carroll’s death, according to an OSHA news release.

According to the release, the citations against Creative Multicare include:

▪ Failing to evaluate the chemical wash cleaning task and determine workers’ level of exposure to the lacquer thinner.

▪ Improperly labeling mixtures used to clean and resurface bathtubs and countertops and exposing employees to a concentration of toluene several times above permissible exposure limits.

▪ Allowing flash fire and explosion hazards and failing to provide suitable facilities for quick drenching and flushing of the eyes and body and flame retardant clothing.

▪ Failing to perform a personal protective equipment assessment and not using respirators properly.

Carroll was wearing a negative pressure respirator while conducting a chemical wash of a bathroom bathtub when exposed to a potential chemical overexposure hazard, according to OSHA documents.

“Employers must be vigilant in identifying and eliminating recognized safety and health hazards when allowing employees to work with hazardous chemicals,” OSHA Acting Atlanta-East Area Office Director William Cochran said in the release. “Employers that implement robust safety programs have a greater chance of ensuring their employees remain safe and healthy each day.”

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

Robert McDonald, human resources director for the company, declined comment, noting that the matter is pending before OSHA.

Creative Multicare was also cited by OHSA for a similar worker death Feb. 1, 2011.

Robert Michael “Mike” Beall, 49, of Hampton, was killed by overexposure to methylene chloride used to remove paint from a bathtub service, according to OHSA records. Beall was working in the bathroom of an apartment in Clarkston.