Hot Tub Manufacturer in Hot Water Following Chemical Exposures
A Pennsylvania hot tub manufacturer has continued to expose workers to chemical hazards following original OSHA inspections.
Following an OSHA investigation, companies often have an “abatement period,” where they can right the wrongs an investigator finds on their worksite or at their facility. For some organizations, however, they continue to expose workers to dangerous hazards regardless of citations and violations.
That’s true for a Pennsylvania hot tub manufacturer who was found to still be exposing workers to dangerous chemicals on an OSHA follow-up inspection on Nov. 23, 2021, according to a news brief. Inspectors found that the manufacturer continued to overexpose workers to methylene biphenyl diisocyante without implementing all feasible engineering controls.
The agency cited the organization for two repeat and one serious violation with $98,905 in proposed penalties. The company had been previously cited for similar violations in 2020 and 2021.
“Overexposure to methylene bisphenyl diisocyanate can cause hypersensitivity pneumonitis and occupational asthma. Strong industries must comply with OSHA standards and implement effective engineering and administrative controls to ensure that all their employees are protected against overexposure,” said OSHA Area Director Mary Reynolds in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in a news brief.