Calling the citations against the company “an unprecedented interpretation,” a U.S. appeals court has thrown out a $490,000 OSHA fine against a company in a case where a lathe ejected a 12-pound workpiece that struck and killed an employee.
A lathe operator at Loren Cook Co. was killed when a rotating metal object broke free from the machine, flew at 50 to 70 miles per hour and struck the operator in the head.