The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has closed its case against Manu’a Inc., dba Manu’a’s Discount Store, after the company paid s penalty of over $35,000.
OSHA had cited the store for four serious safety violations following the death of three men, who were electrocuted at the company’s compound at the Tafuna industrial Park back in 2017
One other man was hospitalized with serious injuries resulting from electrocution.
A year later the company challenged the case to the US Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission which upheld OSHA’s decision.
However, Manu’a Store appealed the ruling to the federal appeals court in Washington D.C. which reaffirmed OSHA decision in January this year.
A spokesperson for the US Labor Department, which oversees OSHA, says Manu’a Store paid the full penalty of $35,492 for the safety violations, and the case is closed.
A federal summary investigation report states that around 11a.m Jan. 14, 2017, three Manu’a Store employees were unloading and staging structural metal beams with a boom truck crane at the Tafuna Industrial Park store location.
The truck mounted crane was unloading steel beams from an open top container when the boom truck cable touched a high power line causing electrical current to flow down the steel beam into the arms and bodies of the three employees, who were on the ground.
“All three employees were electrocuted,” said the report.
