Search

Oklahoma Manufacturer to Pay $500,000 for OSHA Violations

Posted on 4/28/2017 by Roger Marks

A trailer and truck bed manufacturing facility in Oklahoma will pay more than half a million dollars ($535,411) for two dozen workplace safety violations, according to an OSHA citation issued earlier this year.

OSHA uncovered a wide range of safety violations during a 2016 inspection, including, but not limited to:
  • Walking/working surfaces violations
  • Electrical safety violations
  • Chemical labeling violations (i.e., Hazard Communication, or HazCom)
  • Forklift inspection and operation violations
  • Lockout/tagout violations, including failure to provide lockout/tagout training
  • Machine guarding violations
This OSHA enforcement action illustrates how seriously inspectors take work safety violations. Workplace injury and illnesses cost US businesses about $1 billion per week in lost time, workers compensation, and recordkeeping costs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And that’s before factoring in OSHA civil or criminal penalties.

Under Section 17 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, or OSH Act, any employer who fails to protect employees’ safety and health is subject to costly fines. OSHA last year raised its penalty amounts for the first time in 20 years, making noncompliance more expensive than ever.

For guidance on how to handle OSHA citations, read our 2016 feature After the Inspection: Guide to OSHA Violations.


New OSHA Walking/Working Surfaces Rules

One of the many OSHA standards this employer was fined for violating is OSHA’s Walking-Working Surfaces Standard, which contains requirements aimed at prevention slips, trips, and falls on the job. In 2016, OSHA issued a 500-page Final Rule to overhaul general industry employers’ responsibilities for protecting employees who face these hazards from floors, ladders, stairways, runways, dockboards, roofs, scaffolds, elevated work surfaces, walkways, and more.

These new requirements took effect on January 17, 2017. To learn more about the updated OSHA walking-working surfaces rules, join an expert Lion instructor for the live OSHA Walking & Working Surfaces Final Rule Webinar on April 25, July 19, or September 13. 


Effective Online OSHA Safety Training

Protect your employees with expertly designed, convenient OSHA training. Available 24/7, these interactive OSHA safety training courses help employees identify, mitigate, and avoid the hazards in your workplace. Employees who complete OSHA training at Lion.com are ready to make on-the-job decisions that keep themselves and their co-workers safe.

Popular OSHA Training Courses in 2017:
8-Hour HAZWOPER Refresher (Cleanup operations)
New! Lockout/Tagout Online
New! Confined Space Entry Awareness Online
GHS Hazard Communication (for Employees)
Managing GHS Hazard Communication (for Managers)
Lithium Battery Safety Online
Forklift Safety Online

For OSHA 10-hour training to protect employees in general industry workplaces, take the newly updated 10 Hour OSHA General Industry Online Course.
 

Tags: and, fines, osha, penalties

Find a Post

Compliance Archives

Lion - Quotes

The instructor had knowledge of regulations and understanding of real-world situations. The presentation style was engaging and fostered a positive atmosphere for information sharing.

Linda Arlen

Safety & Environmental Compliance Officer

We have a very busy work schedule and using Lion enables us to take the course at our own time. It makes it easy for me to schedule my employees' training.

Timothy Mertes

Hazmat Shipping Professional

The price was reasonable, the time to complete the course was manageable, and the flexibility the online training allowed made it easy to complete.

Felicia Rutledge

Hazmat Shipping Professional

Very well structured, comprehensive, and comparable to live training seminars I've participated in previously. I will recommend the online course to other colleagues with training requirement needs.

Neil Luciano

EHS Manager

The instructor was excellent. They knew all of the material without having to read from a notepad or computer.

Gary Hartzell

Warehouse Supervisor

The exercises in the DOT hazardous materials management course are especially helpful in evaluating your understanding of course information.

Morgan Bliss

Principal Industrial Hygienist

The instructor kept the class engaged and made learning fun. There was a lot of information to cover but time flew by. I will definitely use Lion in the future!

Chelsea Minguela

Hazmat Shipping Professional

Lion's course was superior to others I have taken in the past. Very clear in the presentation and the examples helped to explain the content presented.

George Bersik

Hazardous Waste Professional

Attending Lion Technology classes should be mandatory for every facility that ships or stores hazmat.

Genell Drake

Outbound Lead

The course is well thought out and organized in a way that leads to a clearer understanding of the total training.

David Baily

Hazmat Shipping Professional

Download Our Latest Whitepaper

Explore ten hazardous waste management errors that caused generators in California the most trouble last year.

Latest Whitepaper

By submitting your phone number, you agree to receive recurring marketing and training text messages. Consent to receive text messages is not required for any purchases. Text STOP at any time to cancel. Message and data rates may apply. View our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.