Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A third party working at the Gatlinburg Convention Center is now facing thousands in fines following a workplace death in December of last year.
According to a report from the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA), Appalachian Staffing Service, LLC was fined $8,200 after 66-year-old Jeffrey Coker fell from the center’s rafters on December 26, 2023.
Investigators say employees were working on rigging equipment to the ceiling when the Coker fell 32 feet onto a concrete floor.
Appalachian Staffing Service is facing four citations, ranging in fines from $1,200 to $1,400 each. The violations mostly cover safety checks-and-balances, claiming the company did not verify that all equipment was working correctly.