Georgia pillow manufacturer fined $190K over worker amputations

SWAISBORO, Ga. — A Georgia pillow manufacturer has been cited with a $190,000 fine after an inspection found that several employees have had fingers and other body parts amputated.

The U.S. Department of Labor cited Place Vendome Holding Co. in Swainsboro after an inspection found that three workers suffered amputation injuries as workplace safety measures were repeatedly violated.

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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspected the factory in November 2021 and cited the company with seven repeated and serious violations that included exposing workers to amputation. Other violations included shock hazards, exits that weren’t clear, entrapment hazards, fire hazards and more.

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According to the release, a machine operator had nine fingers crushed and one amputated in 2021, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. OSHA found that one of the machine’s locks had been removed. A month later, a worker’s finger was amputated when he or she got a finger caught between the wheels of a pallet jack. Another employee sustained an unspecified amputation injury in 2020 and OSHA found that the company had no tag or lockout procedures to protect workers.

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The DOL is asking the company to pay a total of $190,758 and correct the violations.

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