OSHA has cited Prestress Services Industries of Ohio, LLC, for 20 safety and health violations at its concrete production plant in Mount Vernon, Ohio. The agency is seeking penalties of $158,555. The employer is contesting the citations.
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Agency inspectors determined that noise levels in the plant were above the permissible exposure limit and that the company failed to monitor, train, test, and provide medical surveillance for employees exposed to noise. OSHA also cited the company for exposing employees to silica, respiratory, machine, and electrical hazards.
“These hazards can cause workers to suffer immediate and long-term adverse health effects,” Columbus Area Director Larry Johnson said in an agency statement.
“Employers must recognize the safety and health risks inherent to their work operations, and take necessary precautions to protect employees who perform those operations,” according to Johnson.
Agency inspectors charged the employer with 15 serious safety and health violations, including the following:
- Failing to provide noise monitoring or engineering and administrative controls in a sandblasting area;
- Failing to establish an audiometric testing program for employees exposed to excessive workplace noise;
- Not developing or implementing a hearing conservation training program for employees exposed to excessive workplace noise;
- Not providing employees with training and information on the proper care and use of respirators;
- Failing to evaluate the workplace for permit-required confined spaces;
- Several control of hazardous energy—lockout/tagout—violations, including a written hazardous energy control program that lacked a statement of intended use of the procedure and specific steps for controlling all sources of hazardous energy, and failure to conduct periodic inspection of procedures and conduct employee training;
- Electrical safety violations;
- Failing to provide electrical safety personal protective equipment (PPE);
- Failing to assess employee exposure to respirable crystalline silica or provide employee training about crystalline silica hazards; and
- Violation of the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) by failing to provide employees with information and training on hazardous substances in the workplace, including brake cleaner, silica, and solvents.
The agency also cited Prestress Services Industries with other-than-serious violations of the bloodborne pathogens, housekeeping, and respiratory protection standards.
The company will appear before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission to contest the citations.
OSHA Again Cites Dollar Tree
OSHA also cited a Dollar Tree store location in Elmira, New York, for blocked electrical panels, obstructed exit routes, and unsafe storage of material. The agency cited the retailer for similar violations at locations in Amityville, Bronx, Lindenhurst, and Yonkers, New York, in 2014 and 2015.
OSHA is seeking $208,368 in proposed penalties from the Chesapeake, Virginia-based retailer for three repeat violations.
The agency cited Dollar Tree for the following violations at the Elmira location:
- Boxes and equipment completely blocking an exit route in a storage room,
- Unsecured stacked inventory, and
- Access to a circuit breaker panel completely blocked by boxes and equipment.
OSHA recently cited four Idaho Dollar Tree locations for similar safety violations and proposed penalties totaling $898,682.