OSHA cites company for lack of machine guards- amputation risk

U.S. Department of Labor’s OSHA cites Lyons, Ga., metal fabricator with four safety violations and nearly $60,000 in proposed penalties

SAVANNAH, Ga. — The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed $59,800 in penalties against a local company for four alleged safety violations following an inspection of its plant in March.

The company has been cited for a willful violation of OSHA standards with a $56,000 proposed penalty for failing to provide machine guards on its mechanical power press. A willful citation is issued when an employer has shown an intentional disregard of, or plain indifference to, the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

“Amputation is a very real threat when machines lack the proper safety features,” said John J. Deifer, OSHA’s area director in Savannah. “OSHA inspectors found that this employer continued to disregard the agency’s requirements on machine guards, despite an earlier citation for a similar violation in 2006.” The Lyons, Ga., metal fabrication company also has been cited with two serious violations and $2,800 in penalties for exposing employees to struck-by hazards from compressed gas cylinders that were not properly secured. A $1,000 penalty has been proposed against the company for failing to produce an OSHA 300 log for 2008, which companies are required to maintain to record work-related injuries and illnesses.

The company has 15 business days to contest the citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. The site was inspected by staff from OSHA’s Savannah Area Office, 450 Mall Blvd., Suite J; telephone 912-652-4393.

OSHA operates a vigorous enforcement program, conducting more than 39,000 inspections in fiscal year 2007 and exceeding its inspection goals in each of the last eight years. In fiscal year 2007, OSHA found nearly 89,000 violations of its standards and regulations.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthy workplace for their employees. OSHA’s role is to promote the safety and health of America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual process improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit www.osha.gov. If you have reviewed this product please comment below or select the comment count. For more information please contact us– Thank you.

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