Page 20 - Occupational Health & Safety, August 2017

HAND PROTECTION
OSHA Cites Guarding, Silica Violations at Steel Plant
OSHA on June 28 announced an enforcement case against Amsted Rail Company Inc., based in Chicago, after an inspection at a plant in Groveton, Ohio. The company manufactures railroad components; it faces $610,034 in proposed penalties for alleged machine and silica hazards.
OSHA reported it found one worker was hospitalized after suf- fering severe injuries when he was caught in a machine and at least four workers were exposed to excessive levels of silica. “Companies must ensure their workers are trained in proper machine safety pro- cedures and provided the necessary personal protective equipment to prevent injuries and illness on the job. Continuous monitoring of facilities and procedures are important components of an effective safety and health program,” said Dorothy Dougherty, deputy assis- tant secretary of labor for Occupational Safety and Health.
OSHA reported it found Amsted Rail failed to implement engi- neering controls to lower exposure to silica, affix locking devices to machine operating parts during maintenance, adequately guard machinery, implement a respiratory protection program, evaluate permit-required confined spaces, guard floor openings and shafts
to prevent falls, and provide adequate PPE. The agency has placed Amsted Rail in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program.
The guarding injury occurred Jan. 3, 2017, when a 60-year- old maintenance worker’s leg was crushed after he was caught in a machine while he was performing maintenance. OSHA said its investigation found multiple instances of machine safety viola- tions, including failing to lock out machinery to prevent movement during servicing, which could have exposed employees to hand and other injuries.
A second inspection was opened on Feb. 22, 2017, after OSHA inspectors found workers exposed to silica at amounts over the per- missible exposure limit, and the agency’s investigators documented four incidents of silica overexposure in the facility. In all, OSHA found six repeat, 19 serious, and five other-than-serious safety and health violations during the two inspections.
To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatali- ties, or situations posing imminent danger to workers, call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742). To reach the agency’s Columbus Area Office, call 614-469-5582.
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