A plant in Texas was just fined $263,498 after a series of unfortunate violations caused amputation, chemical mishandling, falls, and fire hazards. The association that is facilitating the fines is Occupational Health and Safety Administration. Fortunately, the amputation was a finger, rather than an entire limb, but was the result of over 15 serious violations. There were improper safety guards on exposed machinery, and over the limit levels of carbon dioxide in the air as a result. The employees were also not given proper protective equipment, and suffered harm from peracetic acid which causes burns and damage to the respiratory system if the fumes inhaled. There also repeat violations, but not as numerous. OSHA inspectors issued citations of elevated amounts due to the repeat offenses, and each violations had an attached fine to meet the staggering total of over a quarter million dollars. The repeated infractions were pertaining to eye and mouth protection. The employees were exposed to chemical fumes as a result. The finger amputation occurred when an employee was attempting to remove chicken remains from a belt, and an exposed conveyer mechanism removed it. There were numerous “slip-and-fall” hazards that were caused by improper structuring of the drainage on the plant floor. This was juxtaposed by improperly stored compressed gas cylinders creating fire hazards in the same area. They weren’t separated from the acetylene.
The list is frightening from an employee and employer’s perspective. We understand that most company owners don’t want to create situations where there employees where they can get hurt, and also don’t want to suffer from the fines as well. These objectives do not have to be mutually exclusive, and we at U.S. HAZMAT Rentals are in the business of protecting your livelihood and your employees. If you need to store chemicals and are unsure of the proper regulations amongst the litany of groups that seek to fine infractions than just let us know what you have and we’ll meet all the regulations with our locker. Take the worry out of the work, and protect your business and your employees. Call in today for a free consultation.
