$278,350 fine proposed for aluminum bat factory
$278,350 fine proposed for aluminum bat factory
The Occupational Safety and Health Admini-stration cited American Modern Metals Corp. in Kearny, NJ, and proposed penalties of $278,250 against the firm for six alleged willful and 48 alleged serious violations of OSHA standards.
According to David Ippolito, OSHA area director, the action results from an investigation conducted from Jan. 13 to June 14 in response to an employee complaint of unsafe conditions at the plant, which employs about 75 workers making aluminum baseball bats.
Company failed to protect employees
"This employer, despite being notified of the potential danger, knowingly allowed employees to operate numerous machines without adequate guarding and knowingly failed to ensure that employees wore protective eye equipment when exposed to flying pieces of metal," Ippolito says.
OSHA cited the company for failing to ensure that employees wore eye protection, failing to train employees on the hazards associated with chemicals in the workplace, and for various specific instances of unguarded dangerous machinery. The alleged willful violations carry a total proposed penalty of $202,100.
These are some of the alleged serious violations for which the employer was cited:
• failing to keep work areas free from obstructions, dry, and clear of tripping hazards;
• failing to remove defective ladders from service;
• failing to provide adequate and properly marked emergency exits;
• failing to provide lavatories in sanitary condition and supplied with hot water, soap, and towels;
• failing to have effective lockout-tagout procedures to prevent the accidental start-up of machinery during maintenance or servicing;
• failing to train employees in the safe use of fire extinguishers;
• failing to train employees in the safe operation of industrial trucks;
• failing to inspect hoists and cranes, chains, and slings for defects and wear;
• failing to equip power presses with foot-actuating devices having nonslip surfaces and appropriate guards;
• failing to have required guards on band saws, mechanical power presses, bending machines, metal drawing machines, horizontal shafts, belts and pulleys, and grinding machines;
• failing to repair damaged welding cables;
• failing to repair machines on which employees were receiving electrical shocks;
• failing to have a respiratory protection program, including ensuring that correct respirators were issued, employees were medically fit to wear them, respirators fit correctly to provide adequate protection, and employees were provided training in their correct use.
A willful violation is defined by OSHA as one committed with an intentional disregard for, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the OSHA act and regulations. A serious violation is defined as a condition, which exists where there is a substantial possibility that death or serious physical harm can result.
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