The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found that Formed Fiber Technologies, LLC put workers at risk of injuries by not ensuring proper safeguards on machines used at the company’s Auburn, Maine manufacturing plant. The plant uses robots and other machines to make carpets and trunk liners for the automotive industry. OSHA cited the company for two repeated and five serious violations of workplace safety with proposed fines of $108,800.
“Formed Fiber Technologies employees face the risk of lacerations, crushed fingers, amputation or worse if struck by or caught in unguarded or unexpectedly activated machinery,” said Maryann Medeiros, OSHA’s area director for Maine. “Some of these hazards are similar to those found in previous OSHA inspections. Formed Fiber is responsible for effectively correcting all of these hazards once and for all.”
OSHA found that employees who cleaned water jet cells used in the production process faced potential lacerations, fractures and even death because the jet cells were not powered down and locked to stop them from starting, as required under OSHA’s Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/tagout) standard. The company also failed to review a sampling of workers to ensure they understood and followed lockout/tagout requirements. Additional hazards found involved lacerations, finger injuries or amputations from the potential for workers to contact operating parts of looms, a grinder and drill press. For more information, see the news release.
For more information or assistance with your Environmental and Health & Safety regulatory compliance needs, contact Ralph Carito at Total Environmental & safety, LLC (Total) at rcarito@TotalEnviron.com or 908-442-8599.