Tag: #workinjuries

OSHA QuickTakes: Indifference to Safety

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by OSHA

Department of Labor finds LaFayette insulation manufacturer ignoredsafety standards after investigation of worker’s serious head injury

Bonded Logic Inc. exposed workers to hazardous energy, lack of machine guarding

LAFAYETTE, GA – A 21-year-old line operator at a LaFayette, Georgia, insulation manufacturer suffered severe head trauma after being caught in a machine’s roller. A U.S. Department of Labor investigation determined that the employer willfully ignored federal workplace safety standards.

The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations to Bonded Logic Inc. for two willful, two repeat and 10 serious violations after its investigation of the Aug. 24, 2022, incident. OSHA inspectors found the employer willfully failed to develop and use lockout/tagout procedures to prevent machines from sudden starts or movements during maintenance, and did not control the release of stored energy while machines were serviced.

OSHA has proposed $423,432 in penalties.

Additionally, OSHA identified repeat violations for not installing safety guards on machines and failing to certify forklift operators. The agency also cited the company for failing to:

  • Conduct an evaluation to identify permit-required confined spaces and develop and implement a permit-required confined space program.
  • Train employees on the hazards associated with permit-required confined spaces and complete entry permits prior to entering those spaces.
  • Ensure energy control devices were applied to all energy sources during maintenance or servicing.
  • Maintain proper guarding of chains and sprockets on machinery.

“Bonded Logic put profits before safety and now a young worker must cope with the aftermath of a horrible and preventable injury,” said OSHA Area Office Director Jeffery Stawowy in Atlanta-West. “The employer’s failure to develop and ensure the use of lockout procedures for employees who work near and perform maintenance on dangerous machinery is hard to comprehend.”

OSHA inspected Bonded Logic in 2018 and 2021, issuing three serious and five other-than-serious violations for hazards associated with eye protection, machine guarding, housekeeping, powered industrial trucks and confined space.

Bonded Logic Inc. markets and manufactures several thermal and acoustical insulation products for multiple industries.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

OSHA QuickTakes: Preventable Amputation

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by OSHA

US Department of Labor investigation of Del Monte cannery worker’samputation injury finds company violated federal safety standards

20-year-old seasonal worker suffers preventable injury at Plover, Wisconsin facility

PLOVER, WI ‒ At a Plover, Wisconsin, Del Monte Foods cannery, a 20-year-old seasonal worker suffered a partial amputation of their finger after attempting to unjam an unguarded palletizer machine, a federal workplace safety investigation found.

Responding to the employer’s report of the amputation injury, investigators with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined the cannery’s lack of machine guarding and safety procedures exposed employees to machine hazards. In 2019, the agency cited the company for similar violations at another Wisconsin facility in Markesan.

Investigators learned workers routinely used their hands to redirect pallets stuck in the palletizer’s dispenser. A pallet dispenser will automatically dispense pallets to the palletizing line so that canned products can be stacked and wrapped for transportation. Investigators found that employees clearing jams had not been trained to recognize or safely control hazardous energy sources during the unjamming process.

OSHA issued a citation to Del Monte Foods Inc. for two repeated and six serious safety violations of machine safety and fall protection standards. The company faces proposed penalties of $222,779. The company informed OSHA of the amputation injury within 24 hours, as required.

“Del Monte Foods Inc. is aware of the importance of training their seasonal workers on machine safety procedures and making sure required machine safeguards are in place,” explained OSHA Area Director Robert Bonack in Appleton, Wisconsin. “If the company had followed OSHA safety standards, they could have prevented this young worker from needlessly suffering a lifelong disabling injury.”

In addition to the machine guarding and hazardous energy control procedure deficiencies, OSHA noted a lack of handrails and anti-slip coatings exposed cannery workers to fall hazards on ladderways and stairs.

Based in Walnut Creek, California, Del Monte Foods Inc. is one of the nation’s largest producers, distributors and marketers of branded retail food products. The Plover facility produces 14 million cases of canned vegetables annually. The company sells products under the Del Monte, Contadina, College Inn, Joyba, Kitchen Basics and S&W brands.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Learn more about OSHA and preventing worker amputations from unguarded machines and the Local Emphasis Program for the Food Manufacturing Industry.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

Statement by Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety, Health on 2021 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by OSHA

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker issued a statement regarding today’s release by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of its 2021 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries:

“Today’s announcement by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of a one-year increase of nearly 9 percent in fatal work injuries serves as call to action for OSHA, employers and other stakeholders to redouble our collective efforts to make our nation’s workplaces safer.

“In 2021, 5,190 workers suffered fatal work injuries, equating to one worker death in the U.S. every 101 minutes, including 653 Black workers, whose fatality rate hit an all-time high. Black and Latino workers also had fatality rates disproportionately higher than their co-workers in 2021. These are deeply troubling facts.

“Each of these deaths cruelly impacts these workers’ families, friends, co-workers and communities. They are clear reminders of the important work that must be done. OSHA and its thousands of professionals across the nation are determined to enforce the law while working with employers, workers, labor unions, trade associations and other stakeholders to ensure that every worker in the U.S. ends their workday safely.”

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.