OSHA Serves $122,200 in Fines to Kitchen Cabinet Maker
OSHA initiated an inspection as part of the agency's National Emphasis Program on Amputations that found one repeat, 25 serious, and four other-than-serious violations.
OSHA has cited Wood-Mode Inc. for exposing workers to safety and health hazards at its Kreamer, Pa., facility. OSHA initiated an inspection as part of the agency's National Emphasis Program on Amputations that found one repeat, 25 serious, and four other-than-serious violations. Proposed penalties total $122,200.
"Each of these hazards puts the workers at this facility at risk of serious injury and possible death," said Mark Stelmack, director of OSHA's Wilkes-Barre Area Office. "Employers need to be proactive in identifying and correcting hazardous conditions, rather than waiting for an OSHA inspection to occur."
The repeat violation, with a $38,500 penalty, reflected the company's failure to use a standard railing to protect workers positioned at the edge of a roof approximately 19 feet above the ground. The company was cited for the same violation at the Kreamer facility in August 2010.
The serious violations, with $83,700 in penalties, involve unguarded floor and wall openings; improperly maintained emergency exits; a lack of personal protective equipment; improper machine guarding; improper energy control procedures; poor welding practices, including the use of damaged equipment; exposed electrical wiring; and a lack of respirator fit-testing and training for employees.
The other-than-serious violations, with no monetary penalties, were cited for failing to provide a hazard communications plan and a lack of respiratory protection.
Wood-Mode Inc., which manufactures and installs kitchen cabinets, employs about 1,190 workers at the Kreamer site.