Resources for Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

S.C. OSHA Cites Sofa Super Store, Fire Department; Fines Exceed $42,000

www.ohsonline.com

Having completed its investigation into the June 18 Sofa Super Store fire that claimed the lives of nine City of Charleston Fire Department employees, the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Office of Occupational Safety and Health has assessed more than $42,000 in penalties, including $32,775 against the store owners and $9,325 against the fire department itself.

The store had been converted from a 1960s-era grocery store with a metal truss roof system. S.C. OSHA's report notes that once the blaze started, the fire and smoke spread rapidly, and the firefighters became lost and separated from their hoses. With air in air-packs running out, they could not find their way out, and the firefighters died of smoke inhalation.

Among the citations the store owners face are a willful violation for having the store's exit doors padlocked, plus two serious violations for not having the store's three fire doors in proper working order and not implementing an emergency action plan for employees.

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