A federal workplace health investigation found that an auto insurance company ignored coronavirus safety requirements and allowed others displaying symptoms to work at the exact Denver location where an employee died with COVID-19.
In response to a complaint of unsafe working conditions and the employee’s death, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated an investigation on April 21, 2021, and found Fred Loya Insurance Agency Inc. did not safely distance employees, failed to implement a health and safety plan and allowed symptomatic workers to remain on site. The company faces $23,406 in proposed penalties.
“Fred Loya Insurance Agency needlessly exposed employees in its Fort Collins’ office to co-workers with COVID-19 symptoms,” said OSHA Area Director Amanda Kupper in Denver. “This company showed an indifference toward the safety and well-being of its employees, including one who fell victim to the coronavirus.”
Based in El Paso, Texas, Fred Loya Insurance Agency Inc. is a subsidiary of Loya Insurance Group, which operates more than 500 agencies in states including Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, and Texas.
The company has 15 business days from receipt of citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Recommended Citation: Gelman, Jon L., OSHA cites insurance agency for exposing workers to fatal coronavirus, Workers' Compensation Blog (Oct. 8, 2021), https://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/2021/10/osha-cites-insurance-agency-for.html
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Jon L. Gelman of Wayne NJ is the author of NJ Workers’ Compensation Law (Thomson-Reuters) and co-author of the national treatise, Modern Workers’ Compensation Law (Thomson-Reuters). For over four decades, the Law Offices of Jon L Gelman 1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com has been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.
Blog: Workers ' Compensation
Twitter: jongelman
LinkedIn: JonGelman
LinkedIn Group: Injured Workers Law & Advocacy Group
Author: "Workers' Compensation Law" Thomson-Reuters
