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Plastic bag maker faces six-figure OSHA fine following amputation

April 17th, 2018 by Dakota Software Staff

Plastic bag maker faces six-figure OSHA fine following amputation

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently penalized an Ohio-based manufacturer of plastic bags for a variety of issues found during inspections of the business's facilities. The company faces a fine of more than $150,000 as well as placement in OSHA's Severe Violator Enforcement Program due to the numerous repeated and serious issues documented by inspectors, EHS Today reported. The serious penalties issued by OSHA are another reminder of the federal health and safety regulator's dedication to preventing hazardous workplace conditions and the consequences organizations face when they fail to comply with relevant rules.

Amputation triggers inspection finding many violations

"The business faces a fine of more than $155,000."

The inspections and subsequent actions were triggered by a worker suffering a partial amputation of his thumb while on the job, Plastics News reported. The serious accident occurred as the worker attempted to fix a jam in a bag-sealing machine. OSHA later found issues throughout the facility in terms of a lack of training on proper lockout/tagout procedures, which were a factor in the amputation that triggered the inspection.

Plastics News said a previous amputation recorded at the facility resulted in an OSHA inspection in 2016, when another worker also suffered a partial thumb amputation while working on a blow molding press. At that time, the federal regulator cited the business for failure to properly send notification about an employee hospitalization, a lack of appropriate machine guarding and deficient lockout/tagout training procedures. Due to very similar issues being cited in both inspections and a lack of any seeming resolution, OSHA decided to place the manufacturer in the SVEP program.

"Hundreds of workers are injured every year in manufacturing facilities because employers fail to follow machine safety procedures," said Kim Nelson, OSHA Area Office Director in Toledo, in a release from the federal regulator. "This company exposed an employee to serious injury by failing to take the necessary and well-known safety precautions."

As is the standard for all OSHA citations, the company has 15 business days to either comply with OSHA's demands, request an informal conference with the area OSHA director or challenge the results of the inspection through the Occupational Safety and Health Review commission. While OSHA still lacks a permanent leader and has seen some newer initiatives stall or otherwise become dormant due to lack of action, this is a reminder that OSHA continues to take its role in workplace health and safety enforcement seriously.

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