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OSHA Fines
DCS Sanitation Management Inc. $124,500 Following Electrocution
Death
The U.S.
Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) has cited DCS Sanitation Management Inc. for 10 alleged
violations of federal safety and health standards following the
Oct. 12, 2007, death of an employee at a Springfield, Mo., poultry
processing facility.
An employee
of Cincinnati, Ohio-based DCS Sanitation Management, working
to sanitize poultry processing equipment, was electrocuted when
the equipment's conductive surface became energized.
"Our
inspection revealed multiple violations of OSHA's electrical
standards," said Charles E. Adkins, OSHA's regional administrator
in Kansas City. "It is imperative that employers remain
committed to keeping the workplace safe at all times."
An alleged
willful violation addresses hazards associated with the company's
failure to ensure employees are removed from equipment hazard
areas, all tools are removed, and equipment is operationally
intact prior to its release from lockout/tagout safeguards and
employee use. Lockout/tagout refers to preventing accidental
start-up of machinery during maintenance. Willful violations
are those committed with an intentional disregard of, or plain
indifference to, the requirements of the Occupational Safety
and Health Act and regulations.
An alleged
repeat violation addresses a hazard associated with the lack
of suitable facilities for quick drenching and/or flushing of
the eyes and body in the event of an emergency when employees
were working with injurious corrosives. Repeat violations are
issued when an employer previously has been cited for the same,
or a substantially similar, violation that has become a final
order.
Alleged serious
violations address the following hazards: failure to ensure electrical
equipment was free from recognized hazards; failure to ensure
the means of grounding machines and equipment was continuous
and effective; enclosures for electrical components in wet environments
that were not waterproof; failure to provide all flexible cords
with a strain relief; failure to provide a standard guardrail
system for every floor opening or platform above dangerous equipment;
failure to provide and/or require the use of appropriate eye
and face protective equipment; and allowing the consumption of
food and beverages in areas exposed to toxic chemicals.
An other-than-serious
violation addresses the employer's failure to report the fatal
accident to the nearest OSHA area office within the required
eight hours of occurrence. The agency's proposed penalties for
all violations total $124,500.
DCS Sanitation
Management Inc. has 15 business days from receipt of the citations
and proposed penalties to comply, request and participate in
an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest
the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational
Safety and Health Review Commission.
Source: OSHA News Release 4/14/08
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