FLORENCE, Oregon – The Firehouse Restaurant in Florence has been fined $ 18,150 by Oregon OSHA for violating standards designed to protect employees from COVID-19.
The quote was the result of an inspection that followed multiple complaints about the restaurant. OSHA conducted its inspection over the phone, as social media posts and websites pointed to the potential for armed people to block access to the company.
OSHA’s research also found that some extremist groups encouraged people to use violence against OSHA compliance officers when they visited the site.
Michael Wood, Oregon OSHA administrator, imposed a fine of $ 17,800, which is twice the minimum fine for such a violation. Another $ 175 fine is being imposed for not developing an infection control plan. An additional fine of $ 175 will be imposed because the restaurant has not conducted a COVID-19 risk assessment to identify potential worker exposure to the virus and how to reduce this exposure.
The Firehouse Restaurant inspection found that the company committed the violations on or around December 26 and continued to do so thereafter. The inspection included an interview with Kylie McKenzie, the restaurant’s manager.
McKenzie said she originally closed the company to the public, but later decided to reopen it, even though she knew the decision violated measures to prevent the spread of the disease in an extremely high-risk province.
Continual refusals to correct violations and comply with workplace health and safety standards can lead to additional higher penalties, Oregon said OSHA. If an Oregon OSHA inspection documents violations while a county is at extreme risk, but the county risk level drops before the citation is issued, the citation will still be issued. The change in risk levels can affect how the violation should be corrected, but not whether it is cited.
Employers have 30 days to appeal citations.