Kirkhill Manufacturing of Athens, Ga., fined more than $125,000 by US Department of Labor's OSHA for safety and health hazards
ATLANTA - Kirkhill Manufacturing Co. of Athens, Ga., has been cited by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration for exposing workers to carbon black combustible dust and other safety and health hazards. Penalties total $125,650.
Following a February inspection, OSHA has cited Kirkhill with one willful safety violation carrying a proposed penalty of $56,000 for hazards associated with failing to establish a lockout/tagout program for energy control procedures. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employees' safety and health.
The company also has been cited with 17 serious safety violations with proposed penalties of $46,550. These include hazards related to a combustible dust transport system made of non-conductible PVC piping; poor housekeeping of carbon black combustible dust; allowing employees to use a spreader bar for lifting when it had not been tested or rated for capacity; unguarded walking and working surfaces, failing to mount portable fire extinguishers, a lack of forklift operator training, machine guarding hazards and various electrical deficiencies.
A separate health inspection revealed eight serious violations with $23,100 in proposed penalties. The violations include hazards associated with the assessment, use and appropriateness of personal protection equipment; lack of development and implementation of a respiratory protection program; overexposure to carbon black dust; failing to evaluate permit-required confined spaces; failing to make the material safety data sheets readily accessible, and failing to provide hazard communication training.
"Kirkhill Manufacturing exposed its workers to potential workplace hazards by not having a lockout/tagout program established and allowing carbon black dust to accumulate," said Kimberly Austin, acting area director for OSHA's Atlanta-East Office. "OSHA's safety and health standards must be followed to prevent injuries and fatalities."
US Department of Labor's OSHA cites Cannon Builders with nearly $128,000 in proposed penalties for endangering workers at Hansen, Idaho, worksite
SEATTLE - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Cannon Builders Inc. of Blackfoot, Idaho, for multiple workplace safety hazards at its Hansen, Idaho, worksite. The citations carry proposed penalties of $127,800.
"Cannon Builders knew that its employees were exposed to fall hazards, yet made a conscious decision to disregard OSHA's requirements for fall protection," said Dean Ikeda, OSHA's acting regional administrator in Seattle. "The company also failed to require the wearing of reflective vests in high automobile traffic areas, despite a heightened awareness of the need for such protective gear."
OSHA's investigation found two alleged willful violations, 11 alleged serious violations, two alleged repeat citations and three alleged other-than-serious violations.
The willful violations involve the employer's failure to provide and enforce the wearing of high visibility vests by employees working on heavily traveled roadways, and to provide adequate fall protection for employees. OSHA issues a willful citation when an employer exhibits plain indifference to, or intentional disregard for, employee safety and health.
The serious violations are related to failing to provide hazard recognition instruction, housekeeping of work and storage areas, proper handling and storage of compressed gas cylinders and welding equipment, stable access to elevated work areas, a properly designed horizontal lifeline system, proper anchorage for fall protection, safe egress from deep excavations, a means to keep materials and equipment from entering excavations, safe access to tops of pier caps, and lack of competent person inspections for excavations prior to employee entry or for excavations exceeding 5 feet. OSHA issues serious citations when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from hazards about which the employer knew or should have known.
The repeat violations address failure to provide a trained person to perform regular and frequent worksite inspections, and to provide employees with fall protection training instructions.
The other-than-serious alleged violations involved failure to cap a gasoline can, repair an extension cord and replace a damaged ladder.
US Labor Department's OSHA proposes $247,000 in fines against Sally
Sherman Foods for uncorrected, recurring hazards at Mount Vernon, NY, plant
TARRYTOWN, N.Y. - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed $247,050 in fines against U.F.S. Industries, doing business as Sally Sherman Foods, chiefly for failing to correct hazards previously cited at the salad manufacturer's Mount Vernon, N.Y., plant. OSHA first cited the plant in November 2009 for failing to provide adequate fall protection, machine guarding and hazardous energy control for workers at the plant. A follow up inspection, begun in May of this year to verify correction of the cited hazards, found several conditions unchanged.
"The bulk of these sizable fines stem from five instances in which the company agreed to correct specific hazards and did not follow through on that commitment," said Diana Cortez, OSHA's area director in Tarrytown. "This situation meant workers at the plant remained exposed to potential falls, lacerations, crushing and amputation injuries or being caught in the moving parts of machinery. That is not acceptable."
The uncorrected hazards included workers exposed to falls from heights of 5 to 6 feet due to missing or inadequate guardrails, inadequate guarding of moving parts of mixer machines and carrot shredders, failure to develop a lockout/tagout program to prevent the unintended startup of machinery during maintenance, and failure to provide workers with training and equipment to implement the program. OSHA issued the plant five failure to abate notices with $236,250 in proposed fines for these conditions. OSHA issues such notices and proposes additional fines when an employer fails to correct previously cited hazards.
OSHA's inspection also identified recurring machine guarding hazards similar to those cited in the earlier inspection, leading to three repeat citations with $9,600 in fines. Finally, one serious citation with a $1,200 fine was issued for a new condition, the improper storage of oxygen and acetylene cylinders. OSHA issues serious citations when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from hazards about which the employer knew or should have known.
US Department of Labor's OSHA cites Matula & Matula Construction following worker death in Lake Jackson, TX
LAKE JACKSON, Texas - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Matula & Matula Construction Inc. of Lake Jackson for workplace safety and health violations following the death of an employee who was working inside a sanitary sewer manhole.
"This company exposed its workers to hazardous atmospheres while they were working in sanitary sewers," said Mark Briggs, OSHA's director for its Houston South Area Office in Texas. "It is critical that procedures for safe confined space entry are utilized each time a worker enters a confined space."
OSHA has issued citations alleging two willful, three serious and two repeat violations following an investigation that began Feb. 8, when a worker who was pumping grout into the sewer line on the Highway 332 Utility Relocation Project in Lake Jackson was overcome by hydrogen sulfide.
The willful violations are for failing to implement confined space entry procedures, including testing, ventilation and rescue, and to train employees on the hazards of working in a confined space. OSHA issues a willful citation when an employer exhibits plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health.
Serious violations include failing to train employees about the danger of working with hazardous chemicals in the workplace, and to inspect, properly maintain and repair damaged ladders. A serious violation is one in which there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.
The repeat violations are for failing to make a reasonable estimate of employee exposure to hazardous chemicals such as hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide, and to properly erect a ladder for use in accessing the sanitary sewer manhole. OSHA issues repeat violations when an employer previously has been cited for the same or substantially similar violations in the past three years, and those citations have become a final order.
US Labor Department's OSHA proposes $357,000 in fines against US Postal Service for electrical hazards at Boston mail processing facility
BOSTON - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited the U.S. Postal Service for alleged willful and serious violations of safety standards following an inspection at the Boston Processing and Distribution Center. The Postal Service faces a total of $357,000 in fines, chiefly for exposing workers to electrical hazards.
"These citations and sizable fines reflect both the gravity of the hazards identified during this inspection, and the Postal Service's knowledge of and systemic failure to address these hazards," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. "The dangers of electric shock, burns and explosions were real, present and ongoing. The Postal Service must take comprehensive and aggressive action to correct these conditions once and for all."
OSHA's inspection, which began Jan. 28 in response to worker complaints, found that employees at the Boston center, including mechanics and technicians working with or near live electrical equipment or parts such as bar code readers and elevator control panels, were not provided with adequate training, safe electrical work practices, required personal protective equipment or insulated tools.
These conditions exposed the workers to the hazards of electric shock, arc flashes and arc blasts, and resulted in OSHA issuing the Postal Service five willful citations carrying $350,000 in proposed fines. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health.
OSHA also found that the Boston facility failed to have an authorized person conduct periodic inspections of its energy control procedures to prevent the unexpected startup of machinery during maintenance. This situation resulted in one serious citation, with a $7,000 fine. OSHA issues serious citations when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from hazards about which the employer knew or should have known.
US Labor Department's OSHA cites AAR Summa Technology in Huntsville,
AL, with proposed penalties of $191,500 for 22 safety and health violations
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued 22 citations against AAR Summa Technology for exposing workers to safety and health hazards at its Huntsville plant. Proposed penalties total $191,500.
"Management needs to show a commitment to worker safety and health consistent with this company's ranking as one of the top defense contractors in the world," said Roberto Sanchez, OSHA's area director in Birmingham, Ala.
OSHA began its inspection in February after receiving a complaint about hazards at the facility, which produces military aircraft parts. Two willful safety violations were issued for failing to provide proper lockout/tagout procedures of energy sources for workers performing maintenance and service functions on machinery, and for failing to provide protective machine guards on equipment. A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law's requirements, or with plain indifference to employee safety and health.
Sixteen serious safety violations were issued for failing to repair or replace hooks used to lift and hold shop fabricated lifting devices, allowing materials to obstruct the exit pathways, failing to properly maintain machinery, exposing workers to electrical hazards, failing to train workers on hazards associated with aluminum dust, and using excessively pressurized compressed air to clean off parts.
Three serious health violations were issued for exposing workers to noise hazards, failing to perform audiometric tests on employees and failing to train workers on hazards related to noise. A serious citation is issued when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.
A repeat health violation was issued for failing to provide a site-specific written respiratory protection program. A repeat violation is issued when an employer previously was cited for the same or a similar violation of any standard, regulation, rule or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last three years.
US Labor Department's OSHA fines Wisconsin Polishing and Plating
more than $75,000 in penalties for 53 health violations
MILWAUKEE - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Wisconsin Polishing and Plating Inc. of West Allis, Wis., with $75,400 in proposed penalties for allowing workers to be overexposed to chromium and chromic acid, violating federal workplace health standards.
As a result of a February 2010 inspection, OSHA has issued Wisconsin Polishing and Plating one willful, 50 serious and two other-than-serious violations. The willful citation, with a proposed penalty of $7,000, is for allowing an employee to be exposed to chromium VI above the permissible exposure limits. A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law's requirement, or plain indifference to employee safety and health.
Some of the 50 serious citations, with proposed penalties of $68,100, include failing to provide proper protective equipment for employees working with lead and other extremely dangerous dust and chemicals; failure to develop or implement a hazard communication program; failure to maintain material safety data information; and allowing employees to be exposed to open circuit breaker panels and improperly marked electrical panels. An OSHA violation is serious if death or serious physical harm can result from a hazard an employer knew or should have known exists.
The company also received a $300 proposed fine for two other-than-serious violations, which included lack of properly marked load rating signs and failure to inform employees of their right to access medical or exposure information and records.
"Overexposure to lead, chromium VI and chromic acid is extremely dangerous, and there is no excuse for a company to disregard the safety and welfare of its workers by not following OSHA safety standards," said OSHA Area Director George Yoksas in Milwaukee. "Those who ignore safe practices and OSHA regulations are inviting tragedy into the lives of their workers."
US Department of Labor's OSHA assesses $48,500 in penalties after finding 24 serious violations at Hi Plains Feed, of Garden City, Kan.
WICHITA, Kan. - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Hi Plains Feed LLC, of Garden City, Kan., for 24 alleged serious violations of process safety management for hazards found with its anhydrous ammonia system. Proposed penalties total $48,500.
"Our inspection identified numerous hazards that must be addressed," said Charles Adkins, OSHA's regional administrator in Kansas City, Mo. "OSHA's process safety management standard is stringent and comprehensive because a leak could have catastrophic consequences. It is imperative that employers take the necessary steps to eliminate hazards and provide a safe working environment for all of their employees."
OSHA initiated an investigation of Hi Plains Feed in February under its site-specific targeting program. Serious violations cited include a lack of employee participation in and training of system operators; failure to compile process safety information and to conduct process hazard analyses; lack of written operating procedures for the ammonia process; failure to evaluate contractor safety performance and to conduct a pre-startup review after a significant facility modification; as well as a failure to manage changes and mechanical integrity of process equipment, to perform anhydrous ammonia release incident investigations, to have an adequate facility emergency plan and to have compliance certification of the program.
Other serious violations include failure to maintain floors in a clean and dry condition; fall hazards due to an unguarded pit opening and lack of aerial lift training; failure to have at least two suitable gas masks available and accessible; an inadequate respirator program; lack of developed confined space procedures; and grinding wheel, compressed air and electrical shock hazards. OSHA issues serious citations when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from a hazard about which an employer knew or should have known.
US Department of Labor's OSHA cites AmeriCold Logistics with $189,000
in fines for serious safety violations at Burley, Idaho, facility
SEATTLE - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited AmeriCold Logistics LLC for serious workplace hazards that are endangering its employees at the company's Burley, Idaho, facility. The company's Nampa, Idaho, facility was cited for similar violations in April.
"Many of the alleged violations cited were for deficiencies in AmeriCold Logistics' process safety management, or PSM, program," said Dean Ikeda, OSHA's acting regional administrator in Seattle. "When properly implemented, PSM programs help ensure that operations involving hazardous chemicals are performed in a safe manner."
OSHA's Boise Area Office in Idaho conducted an inspection under its Chemical Industry National Emphasis Program at the AmeriCold Logistics Burley facility and found 11 alleged serious and five alleged repeat violations carrying a total of $189,000 in proposed penalties.
The serious violations related to PSM involve worker exposure to hazards due to inadequate system design information, a failure to correct equipment deficiencies, inadequate inspections of process equipment, inadequate process hazard analysis, and lack of mechanical integrity inspection documentation and written procedures for such inspections. Serious violations not related to PSM involve worker exposure to hazards due to lack of fall protection at a ladder access, lack of midrail on catwalks, unguarded evaporator fan blades and an inadequate number of exit routes. Serious citations are issued when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from hazards about which the employer knew or should have known.
The repeat violations include unguarded open-sided floors or platforms, lack of an employee alarm system, lack of piping and instrument diagrams for equipment in safety information, lack of proper training for employees and lack of written procedures to maintain equipment. A repeat violation is issued when an employer previously was cited for the same or a similar violation of any standard, regulation, rule or order at any other facility in federal enforcement states within the last three years.
US Department of Labor's OSHA cites M&G Equipment Group following worker's death in Alamo, Texas
ALAMO, Texas - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited M&G Equipment Group Ltd., doing business as M Construction in Alamo, Texas, with two alleged willful and six alleged serious violations following the death of an employee who was working in a trench installing a storm drainage system.
"A company's failure to protect its workers from cave-ins is simply unacceptable," said Michael Rivera, OSHA's area director in Corpus Christi, Texas. "If OSHA's standards regarding proper trench sloping, shoring and shielding were followed, it is possible this tragedy could have been avoided."
OSHA's Corpus Christi Area Office began its investigation on March 5 at South Tower Road in Alamo. Two willful violations were issued for failure to provide workers with adequate protection from a possible trench cave-in and failure of a competent person to take action where there was evidence of a possible trench cave-in. A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law's requirements, or with plain indifference to employee safety and health.
Serious citations were issued for failure to provide workers with safe egress when working in a trench, keep excavated soil a safe distance from a trench, use a properly designed trench shield, and ensure workers are trained on excavation hazards. A serious citation is issued when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.
Proposed penalties total $53,550. OSHA standards mandate that all excavations 5 feet or deeper be protected against collapse.
US Labor Department's OSHA proposes $49,000 in fines against Albany, NY,
contractor Peter Luizzi & Brothers for cave-in hazard at Cohoes, NY, worksite
ALBANY, N.Y. - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Peter Luizzi & Brothers Contracting Inc. of Albany, N.Y., for an alleged willful violation of excavation safety standards at a worksite in Cohoes, N.Y.
OSHA inspectors passing by a worksite at Villet Street and Hamilton Place observed a worker installing a water main in an apparently unprotected 6-foot-6-inch deep trench. An inspection was opened on the spot and OSHA found that the trench lacked protection against a potential collapse of its walls.
As a result, OSHA has issued the company one willful citation, carrying a proposed fine of $49,000, for the unprotected trench. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health.
"You cannot overstate the gravity of this hazard," said Edward Jerome, OSHA's area director in Albany. "A cave-in can occur in seconds, crushing and burying workers beneath soil and debris before they can react or escape. Employers know that a trench must have effective cave-in protection in place every time workers enter it. Failing to provide protection could result in swift and serious injury or death for trench workers."
US Department of Labor's OSHA proposes $217,500 in penalties against fire log manufacturer following employee being injured
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is proposing $217,500 in penalties against Hearthmark LLC, doing business as Jarden Home Brands, for safety violations at its Birmingham location.
The inspection began in July 2009, after an employee was burned when hot wax he was transferring from a railcar erupted. The investigation, including an evaluation for combustible dust, was expanded to all areas of the Birmingham facility when inspectors observed a number of safety hazards during their initial walk through.
OSHA has cited the company with two willful violations with a proposed penalty of $110,000 for failing to develop and use specific lockout/tagout (of accidental energy start-up) procedures for workers engaged in servicing and performing maintenance activities and housekeeping issues related to the accumulation of combustible dust.
The company is also being cited for 31 serious safety violations with $107,500 in proposed penalties. The violations include failing to establish and implement procedures for employees transferring wax from railcars to holding tanks, unguarded platforms, fixed stairs not having standard guard rails, lack of machine guarding, numerous electrical hazards (including unapproved electrical equipment being used in areas containing combustible dust), not filling required permits for confined spaces, belts, pulleys and shafts not being guarded, and failing to utilize restraint systems on powered industrial trucks.
"OSHA determined that this company is fully aware of the deficiencies it has in its safety program and what needs to be changed to provide safe work conditions for employees but hasn't acted to correct those deficiencies," said Roberto Sanchez, director of OSHA's Birmingham Area Office.
Hearthmark LLC is headquartered in Dareville, Ind., and has facilities in North Carolina, Texas, California and Ontario. The company manufactures fire logs under the Pine Mountain, Java-Log and Starter Logg brands.
US Labor Department's OSHA proposing more than $135,000 in penalties against Atlanta stone countertop manufacturer for health hazards
ATLANTA -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Atlanta Intown Granite Co. in Atlanta for continuing to expose its employees to health hazards more than a year after OSHA had cited the company for similar violations.
OSHA is proposing $133,875 in penalties against the company for exposing workers to excess amounts of silica by not fully implementing a respiratory protection program, failing to fully implement a hearing conservation program and failing to establish a written hazard communication program on exposure to hazardous substances.
Exposure to silica can lead to silicosis, a disabling, nonreversible and sometimes fatal lung disease. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reports that each year more than 250 people die from and hundreds more are disabled by silicosis.
"Silica and noise exposure remain serious hazards to employees at work, but both hazards are 100 percent preventable if employers fully implement protection programs," said Andre Richards, director of OSHA's Atlanta-West Area Office.
OSHA inspected this company in September 2008 and cited it with five serious violations for similar hazards. The current inspection followed up on the earlier one to determine if the hazards had been corrected.
The agency also is citing the stone countertop manufacturer with one serious safety violation and a proposed penalty of $2,000 for not equipping portable tools with machine guards.
Methuen, Mass., contractor faces nearly $167,000 in US Labor Department OSHA fines for cave-in hazards at Quincy and Lynnfield, Mass., worksites
BOSTON, Mass. - Trenching safety hazards at two Massachusetts worksites have led to $166,950 in proposed fines for a Methuen, Mass., contractor. The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited L. Perrina Construction Co. Inc. for a total of 23 alleged willful, serious and other-than-serious violations of safety standards following inspections at worksites in Quincy and Lynnfield, where the company was installing water mains.
OSHA found that employees at both locations were exposed to cave-in hazards while working in trenches more than 6 feet deep that were not protected against the collapse of their sidewalls, exposed to struck-by hazards from material stored at a trench's edge in Quincy and an undermined sidewalk in Lynnfield, and were not trained to recognize and avoid such hazards at either location. The Quincy trench also lacked a safe means of exit.
Additional hazards included damaged, inadequate or misused access ladders, a lack of inspections and safety training, electrical hazards, improper storage of flammables and incomplete recording of injuries and illnesses in Quincy. They also included damaged lifting slings, electrical hazards, no backup alarm on an earth mover and a lack of jobsite safety inspections in Lynnfield.
"An unguarded excavation is a tomb in waiting. Its walls can collapse in moments, crushing and burying workers beneath tons of soil before they have a chance to react or escape," said Paul Mangiafico, OSHA's area director for Middlesex and Essex counties.
"This deadly hazard is exacerbated when workers are not provided an effective means of safely entering and exiting the trench. No worker should enter a trench unless and until all required safeguards are in place and in use," said Brenda Gordon, OSHA's area director for Boston and southeastern Massachusetts.
US Labor Department's OSHA proposes nearly $55,000 in fines against Legacy Builders in Quincy, Mass., after Boston scaffold collapse injures workers
BRAINTREE, Mass. - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited a Quincy, Mass., contractor for 15 alleged serious violations of safety standards following the collapse of a ladder jack scaffold at a Boston, Mass., worksite that injured four of its workers.
Legacy Builders LLC faces a total of $54,750 in fines after the Aug. 5, 2009 incident, which took place at 86 Crispus Attucks Place in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood.
OSHA's inspection found that the ladder jack scaffold was overloaded beyond its rated weight capacity and erected with a damaged wooden work platform. Both the employees working on the scaffold and those performing shingling work on the roof were exposed to falls from 14 to 17 feet due to missing or inadequate fall protection safeguards and a lack of training in the recognition of fall protection and scaffold hazards.
Additional fall hazards stemmed from damaged, misused or inadequate extension ladders; no proper access to the scaffold work platform; improperly tied off lifelines and workers carrying bundles of roofing shingles while climbing ladders. Workers also lacked required head and eye protection.
"This case is a clear example of what can and does happen when adequate and effective scaffolding and fall protection are lacking at a jobsite," said Brenda Gordon, OSHA's area director for Boston and southeastern Massachusetts. "While it is fortunate that these workers were not killed, workplace safety cannot and must never be a matter of fortune. The lives and well-being of workers depend on complete, effective and continual adherence to standards meant to protect them against work-related hazards."
US Labor Department's OSHA cites O.S. Interior Systems following fatality at Houston worksite
HOUSTON -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited O.S. Interior Systems Inc. for alleged workplace safety violations following a fatality at the company's worksite at 20555 State Highway 249 in Houston. Proposed penalties total $112,000.
"This employer failed to advise its employees on the locations of electrical lines," said Dean McDaniel, OSHA's regional administrator in Dallas. "If the company had followed OSHA's standards, it is possible this tragic accident could have been avoided."
OSHA's Houston North Area Office began its inspection on Aug. 14 when an employee who was removing a demountable wall made contact with a live wire and died. The company was cited for two alleged willful violations for failing to adequately protect employees from energized electrical circuits and failing to inform employees about the hazards involved with energized electrical circuits. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
OSHA proposes more than $266,000 in penalties against Tucker, Ga., manufacturer following worker amputations
ATLANTA, GA -- Crespac Inc. in Tucker, Ga., has been cited with 34 safety and health violations by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Proposed penalties total $266,400.
"OSHA began its comprehensive safety and health inspection after learning of two separate incidents resulting in amputations within a 30-day period," said Gei-Thae Breezley, director of OSHA's Atlanta-East Area Office. "In both instances, management knew of deficiencies but acted with plain indifference by failing to correct the problems in a timely manner that could have prevented these amputations."
The agency is citing the company with three willful, four repeat, 19 serious and one other-than-serious safety violations, as well as five serious and two other-than-serious health violations. OSHA is proposing penalties of $249,200 for the safety violations and an additional $17,200 for the health violations.
The willful citations result from the company's failure to ensure that all machines had proper safety guards, functional emergency stop cords and usable safety interlock switches installed on machinery. A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law's requirements, or with plain indifference to employee safety and health.
The company is being cited for repeat violations related to having slippery and wet floors, lack of safety guards on machines, machines being operated with broken parts and employees being exposed to electrical shocks.
Serious violations include fall hazards, slipping and tripping hazards, entrapment hazards, failure to provide proper fire training and equipment, failure to properly train forklift operators, electrical hazards, noise hazards, exposure to hazardous chemicals and an insufficient respirator program for employees. An OSHA violation is serious if death or serious physical harm can result from a hazard an employer knew or should have known exists. OSHA issues repeat violations when it finds a substantially similar violation of any standard, regulation, rule or order at any of a company's other facilities in federal enforcement states.
Other-than-serious violations relate to the company's failure to conduct timely inspections of overhead cranes and related equipment and recordkeeping deficiencies in required OSHA incident logs.
OSHA fines Solid Waste Transfer & Recycling Inc. more than $212,000 for workplace safety and health hazards
NEWARK, N.J. -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Solid Waste Transfer & Recycling Inc. for alleged safety and health violations. Proposed penalties total $212,400.
OSHA initiated an inspection on June 3 as part of its proactive program targeting companies in industries with high injury and illness rates. As a result, the company has been issued citations for four willful violations with a penalty of $198,000 and six serious violations with a penalty of $14,400.
The willful violations address the company's failure to have an adequate lockout procedure and a lack of machine guards. OSHA defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to, or intentional disregard for, employee safety and health.
The serious violations include blocked exits, inadequate energy control procedures, lack of training, failure to properly mark compressed gas cylinders and effectively close electrical box openings. A serious citation is issued when there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result and the employer knew, or should have known, of the hazard.
"Lockout procedures are designed to safeguard workers from the unexpected startup of machinery and equipment, or the release of hazardous energy during service or maintenance activities," said Phil Peist, area director of OSHA's office in Parsippany, N.J. "It is imperative that the company correct the identified hazards to protect the safety and health of its workers."
"One means of helping ensure worker safety is for employers is to establish an effective safety and health management system through which they and their employees work together to proactively evaluate, identify and eliminate hazards before they result in injury or illness," said Robert Kulick, OSHA's regional administrator in New York.
