Steel Fabricator Cited, Fined $132,000
OSHA filed citations for alleged willful violations of electric shock, arc flash, and crushing and laceration hazards at Cives Steel Co.'s Augusta, Maine plant.
OSHA has cited Cives Steel Co. for alleged willful, repeat, and serious violations of workplace safety standards at its Augusta, Maine production facility and has proposed $132,000 in proposed fines for electrical, crushing, laceration, and other hazards.
"The sizable fines proposed in this case reflect the severity and recurring nature of a number of these hazards," said William Coffin, OSHA's area director for Maine. "For the safety of its workers, this employer mustThe inspection was conducted under OSHA’s Site-Specific Targeting Program, which directs inspections toward workplaces with a rate of workdays lost due to injuries and illnesses that is higher than the industry average. take effective and expeditious action to eliminate these conditions and prevent their recurrence."
OSHA's release said its inspection was conducted under the OSHA Site-Specific Targeting Program, which is focused on workplaces with higher-than-average lost-time injury and illness rates.
Maintenance employees were not supplied with and did not use PPE to protect themselves against the hazards of electric shock, arc flash, and arc blast while performing diagnostic work on electrical equipment, which resulted in one willful citation with a $70,000 fine, according to the agency. The company was cited for using extension cords as a substitute for fixed wiring, "a condition similar to one for which OSHA had cited Cives Steel's Gouverneur, N.Y., plant in 2010," according to OSHA. This brought a repeat citation with a $22,000 fine.