Over 50 safety violations results in $1,900,000 fine....

The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog has posted stories of aluminium companies who were cited and fined by government safety organizations. We omit the company name in these posts. No doubt if the reader investigated they could find the company name and location. But in our opinion the company name and location does not matter except for the individual(s) directly affected. It is our sincere hope that the reader will look upon their own company, their own plant and see if they have the same hazards or failures. Here is the story:

An aluminum manufacturer has been cited for alleged safety and health violations, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which described the action as the latest in a long string of issues with the company.

The company faces proposed penalties of more than $1.9 million over 45 violations found in the latest inspection, in January. This marks the eighth inspection of the facility since 2011, OSHA said, resulting in over 55 past citations and an assessment of more than $450,000 in penalties.

The latest inspection found that two employees had been hospitalized as a result of separate workplace incidents, including chemical burn injuries and a machinery-related broken pelvis.

“Despite its lengthy OSHA history, (aluminium company) still does not comply with federal safety and health standards,” director of OSHA’s Area Office, said in a prepared statement. “These hazards leave workers vulnerable to the risk of serious injury and possible death.”

OSHA cited the company for, among other things, allegedly failing to: provide appropriate personal protective equipment, utilize proper lockout/tagout procedures, complete a required confined space entry permit, and more.

The company was also cited over repeat violations, allegedly including: fall hazards, electrical hazards and more.

“aluminium company’s extensive list of violations reflects a workplace that does not prioritize worker safety and health,” an OSHA’s regional administrator, said in a statement. “The company can more effectively protect its workers by implementing a comprehensive safety and health management system.”

The aluminium company had 15 days from receipt of the citations to accept the penalties, contest them or request a meeting with OSHA officials.

A company spokesperson issued a statement, saying the company has implemented a variety of safety measures, as well as criticizing the agency:

"(The Aluminium Company) takes the safety of its facility extremely seriously. Prior to OSHA's findings, and as part of our larger revitalization and modernization efforts, we began working to improve safety throughout our facility, tripling the number of safety professionals, hiring an OSHA specialist to help guide our compliance efforts and adding a widely respected safety professional to our management team. These improvements have made a significant, positive impact on our culture.

"We have been diligent in addressing the issues OSHA cited in past inspections. The vast majority of the issues raised in these past inspections were addressed before OSHA's latest visit. The investments we have made in the facility — from the millions of dollars we have put toward safety improvements to the new equipment that is safer and more efficient — are working.

"However, OSHA's new fee structure results in higher fine amounts and unfair media attention, even as conditions improve."

The editors of Aluminium Plant Safety Blog have visited this facility in this story. Just as we have visited many many of the facilities in our industry. Reviewing in our mind our visit at this plant we would politely disagree with the quote above from the OSHA’s regional administrator. In our opinion this aluminium plant does prioritize safety. We cannot condone the safety violations that were found and have confidence that they will be rectified by the aluminium company. We do question the intent of the OSHA visits. We have heard first hand stories around the world where a government safety organization is either overzealous or mean spirited on their frequency and duration of inspections. Worse yet we have heard instances where a specific government safety inspector is known throughout a state, providence, country for being overzealous. Regardless, government safety organizations are given the task to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance. We sometimes wish government safety organizations would be tasked with providing assistance first. Rather than enforcement and penalties.

We will update this post in the near future.

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