Company fined $238,250 when worker is crushed
Company fined $238,250 when worker is crushed
The Occupational Safety and Health Admini-stration has issued citations to American Coating Technology in Eau Claire, WI — where a worker inside an oven was crushed — proposing penalties of $238,250.
Charles Burin, OSHA’s area director in Eau Claire, says a safety and health inspection was initiated on Oct. 6, 1999, when the accident occurred. As a result of that inspection, OSHA cited the company for 33 alleged serious and five alleged willful workplace safety and health violations.
Violations of lockout requirement
A worker was cleaning the inside of a paper-coater oven; the hood of the oven was not locked. Another worker accidentally closed the hood of the oven while reaching across the control panel. The worker inside the machine was crushed and subsequently died a few days later.
The alleged willful violations related to violations of the confined space standard as well as violations of the lockout/tagout standard.
The alleged serious violations involved fall protection, flammable liquids, personal protective equipment, respiratory protection, confined space entry requirements, first aid, and forklift training. Other alleged serious violations involved an overhead crane, lockout/tagout requirements, machine guarding, electrical hazards, bloodborne pathogen standard, and the hazard communication standard.
OSHA defines a willful violation as one in which the employer either knowingly failed to comply with a legal requirement or acted with plain indifference to employee safety. OSHA defines a serious violation as a hazardous condition in which there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result and the employer knew or should have known of the hazard.
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