Yesterday we shined a spotlight on recent safety enforcement with 11 cases that resulted in penalties of over $40,000. Today we continue our roundup with another 10 examples of enforcement actions that ended up being very expensive for employers.
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Missouri—An automotive repair and maintenance facility was cited with 11 serious violations after a worker suffocated inside a truck tank. The employer was cited for failing to provide respiratory protection, violations of the standard for permit-required confined spaces, and electrical hazards.
Total penalty: $84,927
New Jersey—A municipal fire department was cited for 19 serious violations and 13 other-than-serious violations. Citations were issued for electrical hazards, walking-working surface conditions, scaffolding hazards, material handling and storage practices, guarding of portable power tools, exit route access, lack of written emergency action and fire prevention plans, recordkeeping deficiencies, failure to perform a PPE hazard assessment, lockout/tagout, and portable fire extinguisher training.
Total penalty: $76,300
New Jersey—A substance abuse treatment facility was cited with 11 serious violations. Most were issued under the bloodborne pathogens standard; the rest dealt with hazard communication, exit route requirements, electrical safety, and asbestos.
Total penalty: $97,783
Ohio—A metal stamping company was cited with a willful violation and 6 serious violations for failing to comply with requirements for metal power presses and machine guarding.
Total penalty: $166,225
Pennsylvania—A modular home builder was cited with one serious and one repeat violation. The repeat violation was issued for failing to provide fall protection to employees on walking-working surfaces with unprotected sides or edges 4 feet or more above a lower level. The serious violation was issued for failing to ensure that employees on runways 4 feet or more above a lower level were protected with a guardrail system.
Total penalty: $43,458
Pennsylvania—A discount retail store was cited with one repeat violation and one other-than-serious violation. The repeat violation was issued for using working space around electrical equipment for storage.
Total penalty: $59,752
South Dakota—A commercial construction contractor was cited with 2 willful violations and 21 serious violations following a fatal accident. While an employee was removing two load-bearing walls of a building, the entire building structure collapsed on top of him and killed him. The willful violations were issued for failing to provide required training and failing to complete an engineering survey prior to demolition activities.
Total Penalty: $200,628
Texas—An electrical contractor was cited with five serious violations following an arc flash incident that killed one worker and hospitalized another. One of the citations was issued under the General Duty Clause for exposing employees pulling wire near an energized Busway to arc flash and electrical shock hazards. Additional citations were issued for PPE deficiencies and electrical hazards.
Total penalty: $63,375
Texas—A meatpacking company was cited with 15 serious violations. Many were issued under the process safety management standard; the remainder dealt with respiratory protection, PPE, first aid, and fall protection.
Total penalty: $128,562
Virginia—A frozen food manufacturer was cited with two repeat violations under the lockout/tagout standard and a serious violation of a state-specific standard regarding safe use of machinery and equipment in accordance with manufacturer specifications.
Total penalty: $64,000