Committee on Education and Labor - U.S. House of Representatives

Worker Safety at Cintas

In March 2007, Mr. Eleazar Torres-Gomez, a 46-year old Cintas washroom employee, died in an accident at Cintas' Tulsa, Oklahoma, plant when, according to press reports, he was caught by a large robotic conveyor used to transfer uniforms from washers to dryers, and died inside the dryer as it operated for 20 minutes at 300 degrees. 

Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and Labor's Workforce Protections Subcommittee, along with Congressman Phil Hare (D-IL), Congressman Tim Bishop (D-NY), and other Democratic members of the Subcommittee, today sent a letter to Assistant Secretary Edwin G. Foulke, Jr. of the Occupational Safety & Health Administration calling for a full investigation into the safety hazards at industrial laundries owned by the Cintas Corporation following the death of a worker there this week. More »

OSHA initiated inspections at Cintas’ facilities in Columbus and Tulsa, resulting in proposed penalties of more than $2.8 million. It also announced that it had opened investigations at Cintas facilities in Arkansas and Alabama.

“The citations against Cintas are strong first steps to make sure the company complies with basic worker protections throughout its operations," said Chairman George Miller. More »

In October 2007, members of the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections sent a letter calling on OSHA to provide more information on the status of its investigation into safety hazards at all industrial laundries, including those owned by the Cintas Corporation. The letter noted continuing safety concerns at other Cintas facilities and similar laundries across the country. More »