OSHA Enforcement Roundup: Week of 1/15

The OSH Act of 1970 requires US employers to provide a safe, healthy workplace for every employee. Failure to comply with applicable OSHA health & safety standards can easily lead to preventable injuries and fatal accidents at workplaces of all types.

The enforcement actions highlighted below provide insight into how and why OSHA issues citations for workplace safety violations. All violations discussed are alleged only unless we say otherwise.

We withhold the names of organizations and individuals subject to enforcement to protect their privacy. Check out OSHA’s latest list of the 10 most-cited safety Standards here.

OSHA assessed $256,931 in penalties for a trade show display manufacturer, alleging 32 serious violations.

OSHA investigated the manufacturer after being notified about two employee injuries—an eye injury and a foot injury.

Allegedly, the manufacturer violated a variety of workplace health and safety standards, including the general duty clause, hazard communication, machine guarding, fall protection, forklifts, walking-working surfaces, PPE, respiratory protection, and more.

Beverage bottler agrees to $132,591 in penalties to resolve alleged machine guarding, lockout/tagout, and other violations.

After finding that the bottler allowed workers to reach into a bottle labeling machine up to fifteen times per hour to avoid slowing or stopping production, OSHA cited the company for one willful, one repeat, and six serious violations.

OSHA opened the inspection under the Region IX regional emphasis programs for warehouses and amputations. The settlement requires the company to develop a written, comprehensive safety and health program, allow warrantless inspections of its facilities at any time during the next 12 months, form a safety and health committee between management and employees, and provide heat stress training to its employees.

An alleged amputation injury at a beef processing plant leads to investigation and $274,569 in proposed penalties

OSHA claims its investigation identified two willful and eleven serious violations related to lockout/tagout, electrical hazards, walking-working surfaces, chemical spill preparedness, fall protection, improperly trained forklift operators, and more.

Specifically, the Administration states the company failed to develop and employ hazardous energy control procedures for hydraulic loading-dock plates and enclosures, and exposed workers to live electrical parts.

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Tags: osha, OSHA compliance, OSHA Enforcement Roundup