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 course was very informative and presented in a way that was easily understood and remembered. I would recommend this course.

Jeffrey Tierno

Hazmat Shipping Professional

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

Morgan Bliss

Principal Industrial Hygienist

I attended training from another provider and learned absolutely nothing. Lion is much better. Hands down.

Nicole Eby

Environmental Specialist

Course instructor was better prepared and presented better than other trainers. Course manual and references were easier to use as well.

Marty Brownfield

Hazardous Waste Professional

I like Lion's workshops the best because they really dig into the information you need to have when you leave the workshop.

Tom Bush, Jr.

EHS Manager

The instructor did an excellent job presenting a very dry subject; keeping everyone interested and making it enjoyable.

Marc Bugg

Hazardous Waste Professional

The instructor was very engaging and helped less experienced people understand the concepts.

Steve Gall

Safety Leader

This is the best RCRA training I've experienced! I will be visiting Lion training again.

Cynthia L. Logsdon

Principal Environmental Engineer

Much better than my previous class with another company. The Lion instructor made sense, kept me awake and made me laugh!

Marti Severs

Enterprise Safety Manager

I really enjoy your workshops. Thank you for such a great program and all the help Lion has provided me over the years!

George Chatman

Hazardous Material Pharmacy Technician

Download Our Latest Whitepaper

In most cases, injuries that occur at work are work-related and must be recorded to maintain compliance with OSHA regulations. This report shows you the 9 types of injuries you don’t record.

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.