NEW HANOVER COUNTY — The North Carolina Department of Labor has issued over $10,000 in citations to the Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity.
The fine is for unsafe conditions that contributed to an employee’s death in May at the organizations ReStore facility on Market Street.
According to reporting from WECT, the person died after getting trapped between a forklift and a counter. The employee was taken away in an ambulance and later died due from injuries.
Labor department documents issued on Aug. 14 show the first citation was issued for storage of material that created a hazard, a penalty of $7,812.
The citation notes 120-pound countertops were vertically placed on shop-made dividers that could not hold their weight. The employee was injured when one of the dividers failed and the countertops fell on top of them.
The second citation — a $3,000 penalty — refers to Habitat for Humanity’s failure to report the death to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration within eight hours. According to the citation, the notification was sent on May 15, two days after the incident.
The organization has 15 working days to contest the citations or pay them. It is also required to notify OSHA of corrective action it has taken within 10 days of abatement.
Port City Daily reached out to Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity’s executive director, Lauren McKenzie, who did not respond by press.
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