With long history of violations, El Paso, Texas, company faces more than $321K in federal fines D&D Manufacturing ignores worker safety repeatedly, allows operation of defective press

EL PASO, Texas – With a history of safety violations dating back 15 years, an El Paso metal stamping plant is no stranger to warnings from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration .

OSHA issued 13 safety and health citations to D&D Manufacturing Inc. today following a recent inspection prompted by a formal complaint. The inspection identified 13 safety and health citations for exposing workers to amputations and other serious injuries from unsafe machinery, including a violation for ignoring the danger of allowing employees to work with a defective 500-pound metal press that the company knew had repeatedly dropped without warning .

Completed under OSHA’s National Emphasis Program on Amputations*, the inspection resulted in $321,750 in proposed department fines for D&D. This inspection follows one in December 2014 that resulted in 36 federal citations for serious safety violations .

“D&D is aware of the dangers at its production facility, but has done nothing to correct them. An employee could have been seriously injured,” said Diego Alvarado Jr., OSHA’s area director in El Paso. “There is no reason, or excuse for a company to ignore basic safety requirements.”

OSHA cited the company for four willful, one repeated, six serious and two other violations. In addition to allowing workers to use the defective press, D&D did not ensure that employees on the production floor wore appropriate eye protection, given the risk of flying metal particles blinding them .

Additionally, the company failed to make sure employees used hearing protection in areas where noise levels were above the acceptable limits. The repeated violation was for failing to have all illuminated exit signs lit.

View the citations at https://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/D_D_Manufacturing_1018388_0710_15.pdf*

D&D Manufacturing fabricates stamped, metal components for equipment manufacturers. The company has headquarters in Bolingbrook, Illinois, and employs about 37 workers in El Paso. It also has a facility in Mexico. D&D has 15 business days from receipt of its citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s El Paso area director, or contest the citations and penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency’s El Paso Area Office at 915-534-6251.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov .

https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=28260

Auto parts manufacturer ignores safety hazards, worker loses fingertip FIC America faces $89K in fines for 11 safety violations after OSHA inspection

CAROL STREAM, Ill. – An auto parts manufacturer’s decision to ignore machine safety procedures led to the loss of a 58-year-old worker’s fingertip, U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors have determined.

OSHA inspected FIC America Corp. in January at its Carol Stream location after the employee suffered the fingertip amputation while servicing a machine. The agency cited the company on July 1, for one repeated, nine serious and one other-than-serious safety violation. Proposed penalties total $89,000.

Inspectors found FIC failed to use safety procedures and locking devices to prevent the machine from operating during service and maintenance. The worker caught his finger in a pinch point as he serviced the machine, which caused the injury.

“Workers are at risk for debilitating injuries when machine safeguards are ignored,” said Jake Scott, OSHA’s area director for its North Aurora office, which investigated the incident. “Machine hazards are among the most frequently cited by OSHA. Manufacturer-installed guards and industry-standard locking devices protect workers from the dangers of operating machinery. Yet, each year thousands of workers are injured because employers ignore machine hazards and do not train workers on safety procedures.”

Eight of the safety violations noted by inspectors involve failing to protect workers from machinery operating parts. They include the following:

Lack of machine guards.
Failing to establish procedures, such as using locking devices to prevent unintentional machinery operation during service and maintenance.
Not training workers on machine safety procedures.
Inspectors also found the company did not implement safe electrical work practices for employees troubleshooting energized circuits and did not provide electrical protective equipment, including gloves and face protection.

In another inspection at the facility on Jan. 7, OSHA cited FIC for its failure to protect workers from fall hazards by providing landing platforms and clearance in climbing spaces. The company paid a penalty of $7,000 to resolve those safety citations.

FIC manufactures mufflers, exhaust systems and other auto parts. It is a subsidiary of Futaba Industrial Co. Ltd., based in Japan. The company supplies parts to major automakers, including Toyota Motor Corp., Mitsubishi, Honda and Nissan. The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director in the North Aurora Area Office, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency’s North Aurora Area Office at 630-896-8700.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=28242

Deaths of four workers prompts deeper look at DuPont Safety Practices OSHA conducts second inspection after Texas plant tragedy, finds serious, willful and repeat violations; DuPont placed in Severe Violator Enforcement Program

LA PORTE, Texas – In November 2014, a worker was overcome at a DuPont chemical manufacturing facility when a supply line unexpectedly released more than 20,000 lbs. of methyl mercaptan, a deadly chemical. Three co-workers came to the worker’s aid in an attempted rescue, but all four were asphyxiated fatally by the colorless, flammable, and highly toxic gas.

After the initial investigation into the four deaths, the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found hazards that prompted the inspection at the facility to be expanded under the National Emphasis Program for chemical facilities.

Today, OSHA issued citations to DuPont for three willful, one repeat and four serious violations at their chemical manufacturing plant in La Porte. The agency has proposed penalties of $273,000 for these new violations.

“DuPont promotes itself as having a ‘world-class safety’ culture and even markets its safety expertise to other employers, but these four preventable workplace deaths and the very serious hazards we uncovered at this facility are evidence of a failed safety program,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. “Nothing can bring these workers back to their loved ones. I hope that our continued scrutiny into this facility and into working conditions at other DuPont plants will mean no family ever suffers this loss again. We here at OSHA want DuPont and the chemical industry as a whole to hear this message loud and clear.”

OSHA has also placed the company in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program. The program concentrates resources on inspecting employers who have demonstrated indifference towards creating a safe and healthy workplace by committing willful or repeated violations, and/or failing to abate known hazards. It also mandates follow-up inspections to ensure compliance with the law.

A complete list of the citations from the expanded inspection under the emphasis program is available here*.

Headquartered in Delaware, E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Co., (commonly known as DuPont) was cited in May for eight serious and one repeat violation regarding the fatalities with a penalty of $99,000. The company has contested the citations. In addition, the company was cited at their Darrow, Louisiana facility in November 2014 and Deepwater, New Jersey facility in December 2014 for similar process safety management violations.

DuPont employs about 63,000 people with operations in about 90 countries globally. The La Porte location employs 313 workers who manufacture pesticides and other chemicals for the company.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director in Houston South, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742), the agency’s Houston South office at 281-286-0583 or its Houston North office at 281-591-2438. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, OSHA’s role is to promote safe and healthful working conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, outreach and education. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=28239

Machinist needs several surgeries after catching hand in machine; Kemper Valve & Fittings ignores safety rules Company faces $71K in fines after OSHA cites 2 violations

ISLAND LAKE, Ill. — A 32-year-old machinist suffered serious injuries to his left arm caused when his hand was caught and he was pulled into a machine on which his employer had bypassed safety devices designed to prevent such injuries. The worker has endured several surgeries and rehabilitation to repair his broken bones.

U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors found that his employer, Kemper Valve & Fittings Corp., bypassed safety devices to allow the computer-controlled machine to operate when the guard door was open.

OSHA identified one willful and one other-than-serious safety violation at the Island Lake manufacturing facility following the March injury. Proposed penalties total $71,000.

“Kemper Valve & Fittings decided to bypass safety devices and put employees at risk for severe injuries. For this worker, that willful choice resulted in a life-altering injury,” said Angeline Loftus, area director of OSHA’s Chicago North Area Office in Des Plaines. “Employees pay the painful price when companies don’t follow safety standards. Each year about 3 million workers in America are injured on-the-job, which affects their ability to provide for themselves and their families.”

Investigators found the machinist was using sandpaper to remove surface rust from a part. The door guard of the computer numerical control machine remained open, to make the part accessible. The worker’s hand was caught during the machine’s rotation, and he was pulled into the rotating parts which resulted in the injuries. OSHA cited a willful violation because the company ignored basic machine safety rules.

The company also failed to create an annual injury and illness summary for each of its separate operating locations, resulting in one other-than-serious violation.

The incident occurred at Kemper Valve & Fittings’ manufacturing headquarters. The company maintains its national sales and service center in Houston and has similar centers in Arkansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Utah.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director in Des Plaines, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the Chicago North Area Office at 847-803-4800.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=28212

Storage system manufacturer’s safety failures cause 2 workers to suffer amputations in 2 incidents in three months Elite Storage Solutions issued 24 violations, faces $125K in penalties

MONROE, Ga. – A Georgia storage system manufacturer could have prevented debilitating injuries to two of its workers – each of whom suffered the loss of a finger in separate workplace incidents – if the employer followed safety standards and provided the proper protection on equipment.

In a three-month period beginning in November 2014, two different employees had a finger amputated while working at Elite Storage Solutions LLC in Monroe. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated and issued 24 safety and health violations and proposed total penalties of $125,165.

“Every employer’s highest priority should be protecting the safety and health of their workers,” said Bill Fulcher, director of OSHA’s Atlanta-East Area Office. “It is tragic that employees are left to suffer when a company chooses not to abide by recognized safety standards.”

In the first incident, a worker operating a power press had a left ring finger severed in November 2014 as he used the press to stamp small parts for metal racks. The pallet rack manufacturer failed to ensure safety guards were in place to prevent an employee’s hands and limbs from entering the machine.

Two months later, a second worker was standing up a fabricated metal rack when the 353-pound rack tipped over suddenly. The rack knocked the worker to the floor, crushing his hand and causing the loss of his left index finger. In this case, the company ignored safety standards to secure the rack.

Newly updated OSHA reporting requirements helped investigators learn of numerous hazards at Elite Storage. In January, the agency implemented new rules that require employers to report incidents that result in hospitalizations, amputations, and loss of eyesight within 24 hours.

“We investigated the first incident and this is when OSHA became aware of numerous hazards at this workplace,” Fulcher explained. “Hazardous working conditions cannot go unaddressed, especially when workers are suffering permanent injuries.”

In its review at Elite Storage, OSHA found 22 serious violations, totaling $125,165 in proposed penalties. The violations included the following:

Exposing employees to amputation hazards by not ensuring welded metal beams were secured
Failing to protect workers from moving machine parts during service and maintenance
Obstructing exit routes
Exposing workers to fall hazards up to heights of 10 feet
Not ensuring employees performing maintenance or service on equipment were trained, according to the company’s safety procedures
Failing to have safety guards on several pieces of machinery
Allowing employees to work in a 480-volt electrical panel without personal protective equipment at risk of electrocution or shock hazards
Failing to have a respiratory protection training program
Storing an oxygen cylinder without a valve protection cap
View the current citations at http://www.osha.gov/ooc/citations/elitestorage1021850.pdf*

With corporate headquarters and manufacturing in Monroe, Elite Storage produces metal racking systems that the company sells throughout North America. The company employs approximately 260 workers.

Elite Storage Solutions has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and proposed penalties to comply, request a conference with OSHA’s area director or contest the findings before the Occupational Safety & Health Review Commission.

To ask questions; obtain compliance assistance; file a complaint or report amputations, losses of an eye, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency’s Atlanta-East Area Office at 770-493-6644.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=28209