OSHA records detail years of safety violations at destroyed Winnsboro mattress plant
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FAIRFIELD COUNTY, S.C. (WIS) - New records obtained by WIS show years of workplace violations and hazards at Healthcare SC’s former mattress plant in Winnsboro.
WIS obtained the records Tuesday as part of a Freedom of Information Act request to the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation - which operates the state’s branch of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Healthcare SC’s facility, which produced MLily USA mattresses, was destroyed in a fire in August and left over 250 people without jobs.
The OSHA records notably do not establish that any particular violation caused the fire, nor do they provide a final determination about what started it.
WIS has reached out to Healthcare SC for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
2022 inspection
Records first detail a primary inspection of the plant was conducted between January and June 2022.
The plant produced foam mattresses using chemical storage tanks, foam-processing equipment, cutting machinery, glue machines and warehouse racking systems.
OSHA’s report states that inspectors found serious violations, including inadequate lockout/tagout procedures for employees servicing machinery, missing or inadequate guards on rotating shafts and machinery, insufficient fall protection on elevated foam-racking systems, unsafe access to platforms and chemical tanks, and inadequate training for forklift operators.
The inspection also found concerning surrounding emergency exits and fire-safety conditions. Notably, documents detail exit doors and routes being blocked by mattresses, pallets, cardboard and foam.
The inspectors’ notes say some pathways measured at 17.75 inches, 19.5 inches, and 22 inches wide. The facility had sprinklers and fire extinguishers, but no standpipe system used to help battle any possible fire. While the plant also had an evacuation plan, there was no fire brigade - with the nearest fire department being nearly two miles away.
Inspectors noted that combustible materials like foam and cardboard were stored in the warehouse - although flammable liquids were not found in the immediate area.
The 2022 citation summary listed proposed penalties totaling at least $200,000 for the violations found.
The inspection also found that Healthcare SC failed to record at least one workplace injury within the required period on its OSHA injury and illness log and incident report.
2023 inspection
A 2023 inspection resulted in citations involving Computer Numerical Control cutting equipment, as well as access in the CNC department.
According to the records, employees faced hazards from vertical blades that could potentially pop out and hit them.
Documents also noted that employees being cut and even complaints about blood being found on the CNC line were not properly reported. Records stated that management “never figured out which employee was hurt.”
The documents also highlight Healthcare SC employees telling OSHA that they were afraid of being “punished, discriminated against or fired” for raising safety concerns at the facility. Those employees also felt like their concerns would not be addressed even if they did speak up.
The citation was classified as a repeat offense, based on a similar violation found during the 2022 inspection. OSHA said Healthcare SC was required to post the citations and correct the hazards by specified deadlines. The company was also required to turn in documentation showing the violations had been addressed.
The 2023 inspection resulted in an additional $22,500 in penalties, along with a violation listed as a “repeat” offense.
2025 follow-up inspection
OSHA conducted a follow-up inspection in April 2025, but documents state it was found the earlier violations had not been adequately corrected. The inspection report repeatedly recommended “failure to abate” citations.
The inspection also found that at least two forklift operators at the facility were not wearing seatbelts, and deficiencies in forklift training records. Inspectors also reported seeing a forklift with a horn that didn’t work and an operator backing up without properly looking where they were going.
The report also notes that two employees were seen on top of a powered machine with fixing a motor, and that proper lockout/tagout procedures had not been used.
Documents also described machine-guarding problems that had been unresolved, including unsecured or incomplete guards that left rotating shafts accessible.
Other items found during the inspection included inadequate guardrails on elevated foam-processing platforms, missing protection around tank hatches, and inadequate stair rails. The report states that some foam-racking systems had been dismantled or powered down during a production-floor redesign, but company officials said the systems could be reinstalled later.
Documents note a number of other conditions that remained more than three years after the 2022 inspection, with Healthcare SC not having formed a required safety committee and not fully working to resolve the issues. While it was noted that the company began daily shift meetings during this time, it did not satisfy the requirement laid out by OSHA.
The 2025 report noted that the facility’s workforce had changed significantly, with employees speaking roughly 10 different languages. Investigators said this change affected the safety training and signage required at the plant.
However, the report does state some conditions were corrected before the 2025 inspection. Among those were the replacement of a hazardous stairway with a mobile ladder platform, installed guardrails around chemical-tank platforms, added lockout/tagout equipment and cleared previously obstructed exit routes.
The company also conducted documented fire-drill training in April 2024 and February 2025.
However, inspectors found that emergency-exit maps had not been updated after the production-floor layout changed. The company also initially failed to post its 2024 OSHA 300A summary and had not kept earlier citations posted as required.
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