Worker Fatally Crushed in Press Mold, Plastics Producer Fined $217,000
The willful violations address hazards associated with failing to develop and utilize energy control procedures, failing to train workers in energy control, and exposing workers to moving equipment parts.
OSHA has cited custom Formation Plastics Inc. in Quinter, Kan., with one serious and three willful safety and health violations. OSHA initiated an inspection after a worker was fatally crushed between a press mold and the machine's outer structure in May. Proposed penalties total $217,000.
"It is unthinkable that an employer would allow employees to work in and around dangerous equipment that lacked machine guarding as well as appropriate lockout/tagout procedures to control the energy source," said Charles E. Adkins, OSHA's regional administrator in Kansas City, Mo. "All employers must take the necessary steps to eliminate hazards from the workplace."
The willful violations, carrying $210,000 in proposed fines, address hazards associated with failing to develop and utilize energy control procedures, failing to train workers in energy control, and exposing workers to moving equipment parts.
The serious violation, with a $7,000 fine, was cited for failing to provide point-of-operation guarding on a punch press.