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SAFETY / OSHA - 7/4/08

Monro Muffler Brake Inc. faces $107,000 in fines for exit access, fall, compressed gas storage and other hazards at Glastonbury, Conn., store

Locked fire exits, exposure to 8-foot falls, improper storage of compressed gas cylinders and other hazards at the Monro Muffler Brake Inc. store in Glastonbury, Conn., have resulted in OSHA citing the company with $107,000 in proposed fines.

In response to an employee complaint, an inspection of the company’s 3000 Main St. location was initiated on Dec. 11, 2007. As a result, OSHA cited the Rochester, N.Y.–based company for alleged repeat and serious violations of safety standards.

"The sizable proposed fines reflect the recurrence of exit access, fall and compressed gas storage hazards that have been found at other company worksites," said C. William Freeman III, OSHA's area director in Hartford. "Monro Muffler needs to promptly address these vital safety issues in a consistent, effective manner to ensure the safety and health of employees at all its stores."

The Glastonbury inspection identified several conditions that had earlier been cited at Monro Muffler Brake locations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. These include locked fire exit doors, no railings or other fall protection for employees working in an elevated muffler storage area, and improper and unsafe storage of compressed gas cylinders.

These latest conditions resulted in the issuance of four repeat citations, carrying $95,000 in proposed fines. OSHA issues repeat citations when an employer previously has been cited for substantially similar hazards and those citations have become final. In this case, OSHA had cited Monro Muffler in December 2005 for similar conditions at its Boston, Mass., and Manchester, N.H., stores.

The company also has been issued six serious citations, with an additional $12,000 in proposed fines, for damaged or missing exit door safety equipment; missing exit signs; wet, moldy and falling ceiling tiles; exposed electrical conductors and excess pressure levels for compressed air hoses used for cleaning. A serious citation is issued when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations to contest them before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The inspection was conducted by OSHA's Hartford Area Office; telephone 860-240-3152.

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