Search

OSHA Enforcement Roundup: Week of 10/23

Posted on 10/23/2023 by Nick Waldron

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.


A battery cell manufacturer in Warren, OH faces $270,091 in penalties for 19 alleged health and safety violations.

OSHA opened an investigation in response to safety complaints and an explosion at the Ohio facility, allegedly finding 19 health and safety violations—17 serious, and two other-than-serious.

Workers were allegedly exposed to hazards due to a failure to provide training on safety procedures related to energy control (i.e., lockout/tagout) and emergency response procedures related to the potential release of the chemical N-Methylpyrrolidone (NMP). The employer also violated the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS), OSHA says, by failing to provide Safety Data Sheets for hazardous chemicals and label chemical containers.

In the settlement, the Agency proposed $270,091 in penalties and additionally asked the facility to “reduce accumulations of metal dust and protect employees from unsafe metal dust exposure.”


A Tulsa, OK metal fabricator faces $275,890 in penalties following an inspection covered by a Regional Emphasis Program.

OSHA opened three investigations following an April 2023 incident at the manufacturing facility. Investigators allege that they found 36 violations, many of which are considered serious in nature.

Serious violations identified by investigators include failing to install required machine guards; failing to have an energy-control program or provide related training; and not ensuring electrical equipment was maintained properly and in safe operating condition. OSHA found that the company failed the OSH Act General Duty Clause, and the facility faces a total of $275,890 in penalties.


Federal investigators allege employees were exposed to toxic beryllium at an advanced alloys manufacturing facility in Wilmington, MA.

Employees at the facility perform handheld grinding and parts fabrication on beryllium components, activities that cause beryllium to go airborne where it can contact skin or be inhaled with dust and cause health effects.

OSHA claims the employer overexposed employees to airborne concentrations of beryllium, and failed to mitigate these hazards, in part by not doing the following:

  • Conduct follow-up beryllium exposure monitoring in a timely manner.
  • Implement a proper exposure control plan and maintain adequate engineering controls to reduce and minimize employees’ exposure to beryllium.
  • Keep workbench surfaces as free of beryllium as practicable.

The employer faces $69,251 in proposed penalties, and was cited for 11 serious violations and one other-than-serious violation.


Online Training: Get to Know OSHA's Rules

Lion’s 10 Hour OSHA General Industry Online Course introduces new safety managers to a wide range of the most common workplace health & safety standards for general industry: hazard communication, providing PPE, fire extinguishers, forklifts, fall prevention, and much more.

Tags: osha, OSHA Enforcement Roundup

Find a Post

Compliance Archives

Lion - Quotes

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

I can take what I learned in this workshop and apply it to everyday work and relate it to my activities.

Shane Hersh

Materials Handler

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

Convenient; I can train when I want, where I want.

Barry Cook

Hazmat Shipping Professional

I love that the instructor emphasized the thought process behind the regs.

Rebecca Saxena

Corporate Product Stewardship Specialist

I will never go anywhere, but to Lion Technology.

Dawn Swofford

EHS Technician

The instructor created a great learning environment.

Avinash Thummadi

CAD & Environmental Manager

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

The instructor was very very informative, helpful, understandable and pleasant. This course answered many questions I had, being new to this industry.

Frances Mona

Shipping Manager

I was able to present my scenario to the instructor and worked thru the regulations together. In the past, I attended another training firm's classes. Now, I have no intention of leaving Lion!

Diana Joyner

Senior Environmental Engineer

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.