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| Bojam Sprah, 45, a Lodige employee, was killed on March 28 while working on a vehicle lift in the BMW facility. |
Contractor cited in worker's death at BMW plant in Spartanburg County
Haley Walters, The Greenville News
August 9, 2018
(Photo: Courtesy of BMW Manufacturing)
BMW contractor Lodige USA Inc. was cited for four safety violations following an investigation into a worker's death that happened in March at the Spartanburg County BMW plant. Lodige may have to pay up to $6,975 in fines, according to documents released Thursday.
Bojam Sprah, 45, a Lodige employee, was killed on March 28 while working on a vehicle lift in the BMW facility. Sprah was struck by a 4,883-pound counterweight and suffered massive open head trauma, according to a report from the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.
The Department cited Lodige for four safety violations categorized as serious. A violation is considered serious when there is a hazardous condition that has a "substantial probability" of causing serious injury or death to workers, if an accident were to occur and the employer know or should have known of the conditions, according to a spokesperson for the Department.
BMW did not receive any citations in connection with the investigation.
According to records, Lodige was found in violation of safety regulations for not having proper guardrails, nets, or personal fall protection systems in place on the vehicle lift to protect workers from falls. The company corrected that safety violation during the inspection, and may have to pay a $1,000 penalty. The company was also cited for not providing training on how to prevent falls and issued a $375 proposed penalty.
Investigators also found that there were no lockout/tagout procedures for the vehicle lift, which are intended to protect employees from unexpected energization or startup of machinery, according to OSHA. A fourth violation was discovered when the company didn't locate and operate devices to isolate the lift from energy sources. Each of those violations carry a $2,800 proposed penalty.
The maximum penalty for a serious violation is $7,000. Lodige will have time to resolve the violations and 30 days to contest any citations and penalties. They also have an option to hold an informal conference with OSHA to talk about the citations, which is open to employees.
