The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued citations to SNS Lawn & Landscape Services, doing business as The Grounds Guys in Lancaster, Pa. The citations included two willful, five serious and one other-than-serious safety and health violations. OSHA proposed a penalty of $42,000.

In August, a The Grounds Guys employee suffered a double toe amputation when he lost control of the mower he was operating on a wet, grassy slope. The company notified OSHA, which launched an investigation. Three months earlier, OSHA investigated another rollover incident in which a The Grounds Guys employee was seriously injured and hospitalized.

OSHA issued a willful citation after inspectors determined the company failed to ensure that workers were using a rollover protective system and seat belts while operating zero-turn mowers.

The company received serious citations due to its failure to use the proper guards on the mower, chemical hazards and its lack of a hazard communication program. The company was also cited for failing to prepare a written workplace hazard assessment.

“This amputation and the incident that preceded it could have been prevented if The Grounds Guys had only used the mower’s protective system,” said Kevin Kulp, director of OSHA’s Harrisburg, Pa., office. “By ignoring this vital safeguard, the company is taking unnecessary risks with the safety of its employees, which is unacceptable.”