The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Stockbridge-based Creative Multicare Inc. with numerous violations in the February death of a worker who was exposed to methylene chloride while using the colorless, highly volatile liquid to remove paint from a bathtub surface.
The employee, who was working in a small bathroom at the Lakeshore Apartments in Clarkston, was found dead on the floor. OSHA cited the company with five serious, two willful and one other-than-serious violation. A medical examiner found that the employee was exposed to more than 47 times the OSHA standard amount of methylene chloride.
A willful violation is one committed with intentional knowing or voluntary disregard for the law's requirements, or with "plain indifference" to worker safety and health, the agency said in a statement. Creative Multicare provides carpet restoration, resurfacing, and plumbing services in Atlanta and also operates in Jacksonville and Tampa.
The company was also cited for failing to provide its employees with proper personal protective equipment when handling chemicals, among other violations.
