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Waste Services Firm Faces
Nearly $80,000 in OSHA Fines
The U.S. Department of Labor’s
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited
Interstate Waste Services of Sloatsburg, N.Y., for a total of
41 alleged serious violations of safety and health standards
at three of its Rockland County, N.Y., facilities. The waste
collection and recycling company
faces a total of $79,450 in proposed fines.
The citations and fines stem
from six OSHA inspections begun in February of this year at facilities
located at 200 Sterling Mine Road, Sloatsburg; 25 Airmont Road,
Airmont; and 560 Chestnut Ridge Road, Chestnut Ridge, N.Y. The
inspections were conducted under an OSHA program which targets
workplaces in industries with high instances of lost workdays,
restricted duty or job transfers due to occupational injuries
or illnesses.
"Our inspections identified
a cross-section of safety and health hazards at these three locations
that expose employees to the hazards of lacerations, amputation,
electrocution, burns and injuries from being struck or crushed,"
said Diana Cortez, director of OSHA’s Tarrytown Area Office.
"This employer must take steps to effectively address the
hazards at all three locations to ensure that they are corrected
and do not recur."
The bulk of the hazards were
identified at the Sloatsburg facility, accounting for 34 of the
serious citations and $66,400 of the total proposed fines. Cited
conditions included a blocked fire exit and a too narrow exit
route; unlit fire exit signs; blocked fire extinguisher access;
no exposure control program or training for employees exposed
to contaminated needles and sharp objects; no hazard communication
program and training; no program, training and equipment to lock
out machines’ power sources before performing maintenance;
an uninspected overhead crane; untrained forklift operators;
an inoperable eyewash station; numerous instances of unguarded
machinery and electrical hazards; and hazards involving welding,
tire changing equipment and a defective ladder.
Hazards at the Chestnut Ridge
transfer station included a blocked fire extinguisher, water
leaking onto and standing near an electrical transformer, an
improperly wired electrical circuit and exposed live wiring.
These resulted in the issuance of four serious citations with
$8,100 in proposed fines.
At the Airmont recycling
facility, hazards encompassed unlabeled circuit breakers, failure
to remove a defective forklift from service and excess air pressure
for a compressed air hose used for cleaning. Three serious citations,
carrying $4,950 in proposed fines, were issued for these conditions.
OSHA issues a serious citation
when death or serious physical harm is likely to result from
a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.
Interstate Waste Services has 15 business days from receipt of
the citations to request and participate in an informal conference
with OSHA’s area director or to contest the citations before
the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
The inspections were conducted by OSHA’s Tarrytown Area
Office, telephone (914) 524-7510.
Source: OSHA News Release 5/22/07
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