MACON, Ga. — Nichiha is not the only Central Georgia company that's had to pay up for serious workplace problems.
On Wednesday, 13WMAZ reported that the Occupational Safety Health Administration had fined Nichiha more than $210,000 over the last 12 years for dozens of serious and repeat safety violations.
Now, OSHA is investigating Nichiha again, after a worker died Wednesday from being crushed in machinery.
The federal agency performs regular inspections to check whether businesses are following proper health and safety procedures. They also respond to complaints and follow up on serious workplace accidents.
After those inspections, they often announce violations and fines. But the company can appeal those penalties and OSHA often agrees to reduce those fines.
OSHA records online show that several Central Georgia companies have paid multiple fines over the years.
BLUE BIRD, the Fort Valley bus company, has been fined at least six times since 2012 for nearly two dozen violations. They've had at least two amputation accidents..
Blue Bird has paid more than $80,000 in federal fines in that time.
Also, in 2011, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that Blue Bird agreed to pay more than $170,000 in back wages to a worker who said he was fired after making a safety complaint.
PYROTECHNIC SPECIALTIES, the Byron fireworks company, is another repeat offender.
In September, OSHA fined them more than $140,000 on three serious violations from an inspection this year.
The biggest complaint: improper handling of hazardous chemicals.
The company also paid a $56,000 fine three years ago after an employee was burned in a small explosion.
In 2006, an unexpected explosion damaged several homes in the area.
But Central Georgia's biggest violator according to OSHA, is the four-year-old KUMHO TIRE plant in south Bibb County.
They've paid more than $460,000 in fines since 2015.
Earlier this year, OSHA called the company a severe violator and said Kumho's lax safety put workers at risk of falls, burns and other accidents.
Although OSHA announced a half-million dollar fine this year, they later reduced that to $325,000.
RELATED: 'I want answers, I want them now:' Family mourns loss of Macon man who died in Nichiha accident
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