School district is fined
By KRISTI PIHL Staff Reporter
The Stanwood-Camano School District was cited by the state Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) for unsafe working conditions.
The district was fined $1,050 due to the awkward positions employees lifted boxes in the Port Susan Middle School freezer and Stanwood High School storage area. The employer also failed to ensure stored items were limited in height so that they were stable, according to the citation.
The district lacked a formal accident prevention program, failed to have employee representatives participate in three preliminary accident investigations, and did not insure the safety committee reviewed health and safety inspection reports and accident investigations, according to the citation.
Prior to the L&I inspection, the district contacted an L&I specialist about the storage issue, said Gary Platt, district executive director of business and operations.
However, before the specialist's report was finished, the L&I inspection occurred, he said.
The district has already made changes to the storage areas. It plans to comply with all of L&I's recommendations and regulations, Platt said.
"We want our employees to be safe," he said.
The district will work with the employee-run safety committee to make sure all needed areas are covered, Platt said.
The storage issue with the Port Susan Middle School freezer isn't new, a food service employee said.
The district may need to store food service supplies off site, Platt said. However, it will first attempt to arrange deliveries so that isn't necessary.
