Yesterday, we began a review of recent OSHA enforcement cases. Today, we conclude with additional cases, including two that put the employers in OSHA’s Severe Violators Enforcement Program (SVEP).
Fatality Leads to Citations and SVEP Placement
OSHA Region 5
In December 2012, a fire at a hazardous waste treatment facility led to an explosion, severely injuring two employees, one of whom died as a result. OSHA inspected the facility following the incident and cited the employer with 22 violations, including 4 willful violations, and placed the company in its Severe Violators Enforcement Program (SVEP). The four willful violations involved failing to develop and implement safe hazardous waste handling procedures, failing to provide training to employees assigned to handle hazardous materials, failing to select and ensure use of PPE, and failing to train employees in PPE use. Additional serious violations included electrical hazards, confined space procedures, hazardous energy control measures, flammable liquid storage, hazard communication, and failure to develop decontamination procedures and a written emergency response plan.
Penalty: $325,710 fine
Employer Placed in SVEP Following Workplace Death
OSHA Region 6
In January, a worker at a construction company was killed when a flammable barrel he was torch cutting exploded. According to OSHA, a near miss incident involving similar hazards had occurred just weeks before the fatal accident, but the employer failed to address the situation. OSHA cited the employer with a
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