OSHA Assistant Secretary Encouraged by Drop In Workplace Injury, Illness Rates

Recently released occupational injury and Illness data compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed a significant drop in the rate of recordable workplace injuries and illnesses in 2015. Private sector employers reported about 2.9 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2015, a decline of about 48,000 from 2014, despite an increase in total hours worked. The rate of cases recorded was 3.0 cases per 100 full-time workers – down from 3.2 in 2014. This rate has declined for all but one of the last 13 years.

“We are encouraged to see the significant decline in worker injury and illness rates,” said OSHA Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels. “This is the result of the relentless efforts of employers, unions, worker advocates, occupational safety and health professionals, and federal and state government agencies ensuring that worker safety and health remains a top priority every day.” 

Ohio Vehicle Parts Manufacturer Faces $536K In Penalties for Failing to Protect Workers From Machine Hazards

A temporary worker on his first day on the job at a Mansfield, Ohio, automotive parts manufacturer suffered partial amputation of two fingers. An OSHA inspection found that Milark Industries Inc. failed to install adequate machine safeguards, which led to the worker’s amputation as well as other machine-related injuries. Company injury logs revealed another worker received a laceration injury. Milark was cited for: failing to lock out robotic welding equipment; bypassing safety interlocks to maintain production rate; bypassing safety devices while conducting maintenance; and failing to train workers on lockout/tagout procedures.

OSHA proposed penalties of $536,249 for seven egregious, willful and serious violations of safety standards resulting from multiple investigations of injuries and alleged unsafe working conditions. Milark has been inspected 10 times since 2007 and has been placed in the agency’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program. Read the news release for more information. 

Florida Framing Contractor Faces Nearly $360K in Penalties After Continuing to Expose Workers to Fall and Other Safety Hazards

OSHA inspectors cited Panama City Framing LLC with two willful and two repeated safety violations after observing employees working at heights of up to 22 feet without fall protection. The Panama City, Fla., company was also cited for not having a ladder for workers to access roof trusses, allowing workers to use nail guns without eye protection and failing to ensure workers were wearing head protection. The agency conducted the inspection as part of its Regional Emphasis Program on Falls in Construction. Proposed penalties total $359,878. The company has been cited four times since 2012 for the same violations. For more information, read the news brief. 

South Florida Tree Trimming Service Cited for Violations That Led to Fatal Electrocution of Worker 

A tree trimmer was fatally electrocuted when an aluminum pole saw made contact with overhead power lines. His employer, Ray Carolan Services Inc., of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was cited for three safety violations and proposed penalties of $133,617. Violations included allowing workers to use an aluminum pole saw near power lines; exposing workers to fractures and amputations while using an improperly-guarded stump grinder; exposing workers to chemical hazards; and failing to implement a hazard communication program. Read the news release for more information. 

Wisconsin Nursing Home Fined $243K After Workers Are Sickened by Carbon Monoxide, Exposed to Asbestos and Other Hazards

Five workers were sent to a local hospital after becoming ill from carbon monoxide exposure as they renovated a New Glarus, Wis., nursing home. OSHA inspectors responding to the scene found that carbon monoxide was not the only hazard workers faced on this site. The employer, A&A Environmental Services Inc., also exposed workers to asbestos. “A company like A&A Environmental Services that specializes in asbestos abatement should be setting the standard in employee protection while handling known carcinogenic material,” said Ann Grevenkamp, OSHA’s area director in Madison. OSHA issued four willful and nine serious health violations to the company with proposed fines of $243,716. For more information, read the news release. 

Houston Furniture Manufacturer Cited for More Than a Dozen Serious Violations After Machine Crushes Worker

CACO Manufacturing Corp. of Houston faces $102,200 in proposed penalties after a worker was crushed and killed by heavy machinery in the facility. OSHA issued 14 serious and six other citations to CACO after finding that the commercial furniture manufacturer failed to securely anchor or guard machines, did not properly identify lockout/tagout devices used to prevent sudden start-up or movement of machine parts, lacked energy control procedures, and failed to train employees on hazardous chemicals present in the workplace. For more information, see the news brief. 

State Plan Enforcement Cases

The following are recent examples of enforcement cases from state occupational safety and health programs. For more examples of state and federal enforcement cases, visit OSHA’s online enforcement penalties map.

Iowa OSHA issued $232,000 in penalties to Bridgestone America Tire Operations in Des Moines for failing to provide a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm to workers. Inspectors found that the company allowed workers to operate machinery with unmarked control buttons and failed to retrain transferred workers on hazards at their new workstations. Inspectors also discovered that procedures were not developed, documented and implemented to prevent the unintentional activation of machinery, which resulted in the amputation of a worker’s arm.

The North Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Division issued $77,000 in fines to Smithfield Farmland Corporation in Clinton for safety violations. Inspectors concluded that the company failed to properly guard workers from a cutting band saw, exposing workers to amputation hazards. The company installed an improperly adjusted band saw blade guard, which resulted in a worker suffering a finger amputation in April. NC OSH inspectors also observed that workers had their hands close to the saw blade while wearing plastic gloves that were not approved as cut resistant.
Pennsylvania Masonry Company to Pay $135K to Plant Manager Illegally Terminated For Reporting Hazards

York Building Products terminated a plant manager after the employee repeatedly reported air quality and other safety and health hazards to upper management at the company’s Middletown, Pa., plant in 2014. In a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor, following OSHA’s whistleblower investigation, the company will pay the terminated employee $135,000 in back wages and compensatory damages. “Employers should act promptly and positively when they receive safety complaints from employees,” said Oscar L. Hampton III, regional solicitor in Philadelphia. “In this instance, the employer did not, and they are paying the price.” For details, read 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.