$147,840 in Fines Issued to Steel Firm for Unsafe Crane Operations
OSHA issued the company a willful safety violation for failing to remove a crane from service that required necessary repairs before resuming crane operations.
OSHA has cited Steel Structures of Ohio for 17 safety and health violations, including one willful safety violation for unsafe crane operations at its Akron location. Proposed fines total $147,840.
The willful safety violation was cited for failing to remove a crane from service that required necessary repairs before resuming crane operations.
Four repeat safety violations involve failing to implement specific requirements to test the effectiveness of energy control procedures and to conduct periodic inspections of those procedures, provide refresher training to employees who operate powered industrial trucks, and provide adequate guarding on equipment such as a 250-ton press brake and roller conveyor.
Five repeat health violations involve a lack of fit-testing and medical evaluations for respirator use, failing to provide mandatory respirator training, failing to provide a written hazard communication program, storing 675 gallons of flammable and combustible liquids in the open, transferring flammable or combustible liquids without grounding and bonding, and failing to keep spray paint areas free from the accumulation of combustible residue.
"Employers who are cited for repeat violations demonstrate a lack of commitment to workplace safety and health," said Howard Eberts, OSHA's area director in Cleveland. "Employers have a responsibility to maintain safe working environments. OSHA is committed to protecting workers, especially when employers fail to do so."
Seven serious safety and health violations involve failing to evaluate the workplace for hazards that necessitated the use of personal protective equipment; exposing employees to potential burns and smoke inhalation from a dust collector that contained combustible dust; failing to physically separate spray painting activities from electrical boxes; failing to install electrical equipment in accordance with industry standards; and failing to provide an exhaust or ventilation system in a designated spray paint room to remove vapors, mist or powders from flammable paints.
This investigation of Steel Structures of Ohio, an Akron-based structural steel fabricator, falls under the requirements of OSHA's Severe Violators Enforcement Program.