Cintas to Pay $3 Million to Resolve 6 Safety Cases (1 death)

[Omaha Steve]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122965872186220999.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

y KRIS MAHER

The Labor Department announced that it reached an agreement with Cincinnati-based laundry company Cintas Corp., requiring the company to pay nearly $3 million in penalties to resolve six safety-related cases, including one that resulted in the death of a worker last year.

The safety citations brought by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration stemmed from the company's failure to provide adequate protections to shut power to industrial laundry equipment when it was serviced by workers. In 2007, an employee at a Cintas plant in Tulsa, Okla., fell from a conveyor belt into a large dryer and was killed. The government initially fined Cintas $2.8 million following the worker's death, saying it was the largest ever against a service-industry company.

The agreement ensures that Cintas employees "will receive the protections mandated by OSHA's standards," said acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Thomas M. Stohler. The company also agreed to retain a team of safety experts, hire additional health and safety staff and conduct more frequent inspections.

"This settlement closes a difficult chapter for our company, yet opens another of optimism and continued progress," said Cintas CEO Scott Farmer.

Write to Kris Maher at [e-mail]