FLORENCE, Oregon. – The Firehouse Restaurant in Florence was fined $ 18,150 by Oregon OSHA for violating standards designed to protect COVID-19 employees.
The citation resulted from an inspection that followed several complaints about the restaurant. OSHA conducted its inspection by phone, because social media posts and websites indicated the potential for people armed with weapons to block access to the business.
The OSHA investigation also showed that some extremist groups encouraged people to practice violence against OSHA compliance officers if they visited the site.
Oregon OSHA administrator Michael Wood imposed a $ 17,800 fine, which is double the minimum penalty for such a violation. Another $ 175 fine is being imposed because the restaurant has not developed an infection control plan. An additional $ 175 fine is being imposed because the restaurant did not conduct a COVID-19 risk assessment to identify the employee’s potential exposure to the virus and how to reduce that exposure.
The Firehouse Restaurant inspection found that the company was committing the breaches on or around December 26 and continues to do so afterwards. The inspection included an interview with Kylie McKenzie, the restaurant manager.
McKenzie said he originally closed the deal to the public, but later decided to reopen it, even though he knew the decision was against measures to prevent the spread of the disease in an extreme-risk county.
Continued refusals to correct violations and comply with health and safety standards in the workplace can lead to higher additional penalties, Oregon OSHA said. If an OSHA inspection in Oregon documents violations while a county is at extreme risk, but the county’s risk level falls before the summons is issued, the summons will still be issued. The change in risk levels can affect how the breach needs to be corrected, but not if it is cited.
Employers have 30 days to appeal quotes.