Failure to record work-related injuries and illnesses has landed a Louisiana payroll conglomerate in hot water.Superior Energy Services Inc.,payroll companySESI LLCand five subsidiary companies in Louisiana have been cited for 38 violations of the OSHA recordkeeping standard, with proposed penalties totaling $337,500.
OSHA's Baton Rouge office initiated its investigation in Aug. 10 of 2010, after receiving a complaint alleging that the companies’ were not recording employees' work-related injuries and illnesses in the OSHA 300 log. Employers are required to record fatalities as well as all significant injuries and illnesses, including the number of days away from work, the days of job transfer or any restriction that results from the injury or illness.
"These records are needed to prevent future hazards," said Dorinda Folse, director of OSHA's Baton Rouge Area Office.
The five subsidiary companies and citations are as follows: Fastorq LLC in Harvey was cited with five willful and one other-than-serious violation with penalties of $130,500; H.B. Rentals LC in Broussard was cited with five willful and one other-than-serious violation with penalties of $40,500; Production Maintenance Industries LLC in Morgan City was cited for five willful and one other-than-serious violation with penalties of $40,500; Superior Energy Services LLC in New Orleans was cited with nine willful and two other-than-serious violations with penalties of $66,600; and Warrior Energy Services Corp. in Broussard was cited for eight willful and one other-than-serious violation with penalties of $59,400.
Each of the five subsidiary companies is wholly-owned by Superior Energy Services Inc., a publicly-traded holding company based in New Orleans that specializes in providing oil and gas field services and labor, in the U.S. and internationally. Superior Energy Services also owns SESI LLC. SESI employs the corporate executive team, which is comprised of employees who oversee the subsidiary operating companies. The responsibility to ensure proper recordkeeping is shared by the subsidiaries and the parent corporation.
