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Ohio Firm Fined $117,500 for
Workplace Safety and Health Violations Following June 2006 Explosion
and Fire
The U.S. Labor Department's
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited
an Ohio manufacturing company and proposed penalties totaling
$117,500 for 23 alleged serious violations, one repeat violation
and one willful violation of federal workplace safety and health
standards.
OSHA opened an inspection
at the facility in June 2006 after receiving information about
a fire that resulted in worker injuries. The investigation into
the fire and explosion revealed that employees were repairing
a bottle capping machine that malfunctioned, causing damaged
bottles with flammable liquids to spill on and around the equipment.
A spark created a fire and explosion that resulted in injuries
to four workers, two of whom were hospitalized with serious burns
and respiratory distress. All employees have since recovered.
The willful citation with
a proposed penalty of $56,000 was issued against the companya
for failing to install explosion proof electrical fixtures and
equipment on a filling and capping line where flammable liquid
was being bottled. Serious violations were issued for fire hazards,
improper handling of flammable liquids, process safety management
issues, lack of personal protective equipment and others. A repeat
violation involved improperly placed electrical cords, thereby
exposing workers to tripping hazards (the company had been cited
for that same violation in an April 2004 inspection).
"Any one of these violations
has the potential to cause serious harm or death to workers,"
said Jule Hovi, OSHA's Toledo area director. "Finding hazards
and insisting they be corrected are among the best services we
can perform for working men and women."
The company was previously
inspected in April 2004 with a number of violations found, including
eight categorized as serious.
Source: OSHA News Release 11/21/06
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