Showing posts with label Lock-Out/Tag-Out safety training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lock-Out/Tag-Out safety training. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

OSHA inspection following worker complaint leads to $170,000 in fines for New Jersey printer that exposed workers to machine guarding and other hazard

OSHA fined AFL Quality Inc., doing business as AFL Web Printing, $170,000 and cited the company for 26 safety and health violations following an inspection in response to an employee complaint about hazards at its Voorhees, N.J., facility. AFL was cited for willfully violating OSHA's machine guarding standard. The company was also cited for repeat violations for failing to use listed or labeled equipment, and failing to conduct a periodic inspection of lockout/tagout procedures for energy sources to safeguard workers from the unexpected startup of machinery during servicing or maintenance. Additional serious violations included failing to properly store gas containers; failing to provide employees with chemical-resistant gloves, safety goggles and face shields; and failing to remove damaged or defective items.

Order Lock-Out/Tag-Out Training by SafetyInstruction.com to Ensure OSHA Compliance

Order Machine Guarding Training by SafetyInstruction.com to Ensure OSHA Compliance

Colorado food company and subcontractor fined $300,000 for chemical and other hazards

OSHA cited Meadow Gold Dairies of Englewood, Colo., with 43 violations and subcontractor Tolin Mechanical of Denver with four violations following an inspection conducted under OSHA's Site-Specific Targeting for high hazard work sites, as well as its National Emphasis Program on facilities with hazardous chemicals. Meadow Gold was fined $300,300 for violations that included willfully exposing employees to a potential hazardous release of anhydrous ammonia due to a failure to implement a required mechanical integrity program. The company was also cited with a repeat violation for hazards associated with inadequate procedures for de-energizing equipment (lockout/tagout) prior to performing maintenance activity. Tolin Mechanical was fined $26,000 and cited for failing to properly train employees on emergency procedures and failing to ensure employees had adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Order Lock-Out/Tag-Out Training by SafetyInstruction.com to Ensure OSHA Compliance

Order Personal Protective Equipment Training by SafetyInstruction.com to Ensure OSHA Compliance

Monday, July 18, 2011

Two employers fined more than $600,000 after four workers suffer amputations

OSHA fined Quality Stamping Products Co. $426,100 and cited the company for 27 safety and health violations, including one willful violation for failing to report two amputation injuries that occurred at the company's metal stamping plant in Cleveland. Two employees had fingers severed and crushed while operating mechanical power presses in the plant prior to OSHA's January inspection. As a result, the company was cited for a total of nine willful safety violations, which also included failing to train press operators in safe work methods and failing to ensure the flywheels on the mechanical power presses were adequately guarded. The company was also cited with one willful health violation for its lack of proper chemical hazard communication and training.

OSHA fined T & D Metal Products LLC $214,830 and cited the company with four safety violations, after two workers suffered amputation injuries at the company’s Watseka, Ill., metal stamping facility. Inspectors found that the company willfully disregarded the law’s requirements by failing to lock out/tag out hazardous energy sources prior to performing maintenance operations and to have point-of-operation guarding on two press brakes that caused the worker amputations in two separate incidents. OSHA also cited the company with a serious safety violation for failing to use safety blocks when dies were being adjusted and repaired. Prior to this inspection, the company had been cited by OSHA for 47 violations since 1988.

Order Hazardous Communications Training by SafetyInstruction.com to Ensure OSHA Compliance

Order Lock-Out/Tag-Out Training by SafetyInstruction.com to Ensure OSHA Compliance

Friday, June 17, 2011

Lumber company fined nearly $2 million for egregious safety violations including exposing workers to amputation and fall hazards

OSHA fined Phenix Lumber Co. and its principal, John M. Dudley, for egregious and other safety violations at the company's Phenix City, Ala., facility, including exposing employees to amputation and fall hazards. Prior to these citations, Phenix Lumber was cited 77 times by OSHA for serious safety and health violations since 2007.

“Phenix Lumber continues to put workers at risk by choosing not to implement safety measures that would prevent serious injuries to their employees,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis.

OSHA began an inspection Dec. 15, 2010, in response to a complaint that employees working in the planer mill were exposed to amputation hazards while maintaining, cleaning and clearing jams on pieces of machinery that did not have their energy sources locked out to prevent their unexpected start up. Two months later, OSHA received a second complaint that an employee had suffered a partial finger amputation while clearing a piece of machinery that had not been locked out. At the opening of an inspection following the second complaint, the compliance officer learned of another employee who had just suffered a severe hand injury while working on unguarded machinery. Phenix Lumber had been cited numerous times during the past four years for allowing employees to work on unguarded machinery while it was operating.

OSHA issued Phenix Lumber citations for willful violations that included failing to properly shut down and lock out machinery before employees were required to perform tasks such as clearing jams and cleaning. These failures exposed employees to amputation hazards, as well as to the possibility of being caught between or struck by pieces of the machinery and falling lumber. The employer also failed to train employees who performed this work on the hazards and how to shut down and lock out the machinery so that they could perform their tasks safely. In addition, OSHA found that the employer willfully exposed a worker to fall hazards while working from the top of a machine, failed to issue locks to employees as required by the lockout standard, and failed to follow established lockout/tagout procedures.

Order Fall Protection Training by SafetyInstruction.com to Ensure OSHA Compliance

Order Lock-Out/Tag-Out Training by SafetyInstruction.com to Ensure OSHA Compliance