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Wood
Products Packaging Plant Faces $62,500 in OSHA Fines
A cross-section of safety
hazards at a Silver Lake, N.H., manufacturing plant have resulted
in a total of $62,500 in proposed fines from the U.S. Department
of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Chick Packaging of New England
Inc., which manufactures custom wood packaging products, was
cited for 20 alleged repeat and serious safety violations following
an OSHA inspection begun Dec. 20, 2006. The inspection was conducted
under an OSHA program which targets workplaces with high instances
of lost workdays, restricted duty or job transfers due to occupational
injuries or illnesses.
"OSHA's inspection identified
a variety of safety hazards associated with manufacturing, all
of which must be effectively addressed to prevent potential injuries,"
said Rosemarie Ohar, the agency's area director in New Hampshire.
"Left uncorrected, these conditions expose employees to
the possibility of explosion, lacerations, amputations, burns,
electrocution, 'struck-by' injuries or death."
The inspection found that
the plant had not developed and trained employees in specific
procedures to shut down and lock out the power sources of machinery
to prevent their accidental startup during maintenance. This
resulted in the issuance of two repeat citations, carrying $25,000
in proposed fines, since the company had been cited for similar
hazards at its Itasca, Ill., facility in May 2004.
A total of $37,500 in fines
was proposed for 18 serious citations. These encompassed unguarded
machinery, exposed live electrical parts, uninsulated steam pipes,
lack of employee training for safe electrical work practices,
lack of training in fighting incipient stage fires, defective
forklifts, failure to evaluate forklift operators' ability to
operate the machines, lack of personal protective equipment,
allowing flammable wood dust to accumulate around machinery,
and a dust collection system lacking adequate protections against
ignition of its flammable contents.
OSHA issues repeat citations
when an employer has been cited for substantially similar violations
in the past and those citations have become final. A serious
citation is issued when death or serious physical harm is likely
to result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should
have known.
The company has 15 business
days from receipt of the citations to request and participate
in an informal conference with the OSHA area director or to contest
them before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review
Commission. The inspections were conducted by OSHA's Concord
Area Office, telephone (603) 225-1629.
Source: OSHA News Release 5/22/07
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