OSHA Cites Company for Multiple Hazards, Proposes $480K in Penalties
Workers were exposed to machine hazards, struck-by hazards and others, OSHA says.
- By Alex Saurman
- Aug 04, 2022
An Ohio company was recently cited for exposing workers to hazards and faces over $480,000 in proposed penalties.
According to the press release, OSHA found hazards at a facility in Wapakoneta, Ohio, in February 2022. Workers were exposed to machine hazards from a lack of machine guarding and “amputation, caught-in and struck-by hazards” from a lack of training on lockout/tagout.
OSHA cited General Aluminum Mfg. Co. for fall hazards, burn hazards and improper PPE. Citations included one repeat, two willful and 10 serious violations. OSHA proposed penalties of $480,240.
Similar violations were noted at other facilities, one just 36 days prior. In January 2022, OSHA inspected the Conneaut facility and cited the location for eight violations and proposed $315,952 in penalties.
The company was also cited for other citations in 2021 that lead to proposed penalties of $1,671,738. After a worker was fatally injured at a Ravenna, Ohio, facility in March 2021, OSHA cited the company for 18 willful and 16 serious violations, according to a press release, and placed the company in the Severe Violator Enforcement Program.
“General Aluminum’s continued failure to protect its workers is a prime example of why OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program allows the agency to inspect any facility operated by a company cited for exposing workers to egregious hazards,” said OSHA Regional Administrator William Donovan in Chicago in the press release. “This company repeatedly ignored OSHA and a third-party auditor’s recommendations to improve safety procedures and training, and immediately comply with industry and federal safety standards to demonstrate a commitment to protect workers.”
General Aluminum Mfg. Co employs about 1,200 workers in the U.S.
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.