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OSHA reaches final agreement with parts manufacturer, including $1M penalty

April 9th, 2018 by Dakota Software Staff

OSHA reaches final agreement with parts manufacturer, including $1M penalty

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently reached an agreement with an Ohio auto parts manufacturer that includes a hefty financial penalty as well as quarterly meetings between the business and federal health and safety regulator. The decision stems from safety inspections conducted in 2016, when reports of serious workplace injuries in January and February led OSHA staff to visit the facility, the federal agency said. The facility originally faced a penalty about three-and-a-half times the size of the final one, but worked with OSHA to reduce the amount.

Major consequences after dozens of violations found

"The $1M fine is just part of the agreement."

The auto parts manufacturer ultimately paid a $1 million fine as part of the arrangement it reached with OSHA, EHS Today reported. Beyond financial considerations, the company must also hire a dedicated EHS specialist to oversee health and safety requirements and address a variety of issues found within the facility. The two serious incidents that led to the 2016 worksite inspections culminated in OSHA staff noting 57 total safety violations, representing a wide range of different potential hazards for workers.

The two major incidents included a temporary employee breaking his right elbow and suffering several lacerations after having that arm caught in a blanking press due to the failure of safety light curtains around the machine to operate correctly. The other incident involved an amputation above the elbow. A full-time worker had his right arm crushed while removing scrap from a robotic press line. OSHA's investigation ultimately found a lack of adequate safeguards around dangerous areas of the machine. In both cases of serious injury, the workers were not long-term employees.

Under the terms of the agreement, the business must make a number of specific safety improvements, such as ensuring proper function of safety light curtains and interlocks on potentially dangerous machinery. It must also have a third-party health and safety audit of its facility conducted and meet with OSHA each quarter to document progress toward fulfilling the terms of the agreement.

"Employers have an obligation under the law to ensure safe and healthy workplaces," said Ken Nishiyama Atha, OSHA's Chicago-area Regional Administrator. "In addition to paying a $1 million penalty, this company has committed to invest in the safety and health of its employees and work cooperatively with OSHA."

The high cost of the agreement, even though it was negotiated down from the original penalty of about $3.4 million, is a stark reminder of the need for a consistent, compliant and transparent approach to employee safety.

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