More Than $290K Penalty Proposed for Ohio Company After Worker’s Death
A worker was fatally crushed when he became trapped by a component of a machine.
- By Alex Saurman
- May 27, 2022
Lack of machine safety procedures at a plastics plant lead to the death of one of its workers, OSHA says.
According to a press release, a production manager at Encore Industries Inc., operating as Encore Plastics Corp./IPL Global, was clearing a thermoforming machine when he was fatally crushed after he was trapped by the conveyor. The incident occurred at the Cambridge, Ohio plant in November 2021.
OSHA investigated the company and found that Encore Industries did not ensure that steps to control energy were included in procedures, conducted services on machines knowing that components were still running and did not audit procedures in a timely manner.
Investigations also found out that other incidents had occurred with the same thermoforming machine on the same day and two days prior. According to the press release, the other “workers barely escaped injury.”
During the investigation, a complaint was filed to OSHA. The agency found that workers were not trained in forklift safety. It also found that pathways were obstructed and unmarked.
OSHA cited the company for one willful, one repeat, five serious and two other violations. OSHA proposed $291,086 in penalties.
In 2020, the company was cited for lockout/tag out citations twice.
About the Author
Alex Saurman is a former Content Editor for Occupational Health & Safety,who has since joined OH&S’s client services team. She continues to work closely with OH&S’s editorial team and contributes to the magazine.