Vinyl Tile Manufacturer Cited After Worker Caught in Machine, Injured
The location in Ohio has seen seven injuries since 2017 from a lack of following machine safety procedures, including the most recent incident.
- By Alex Saurman
- Nov 01, 2022
A vinyl tile manufacturer faces over $1.2 million in proposed penalties after the seventh worker since 2017 was injured from a lack of following machine safety procedures, OSHA said.
According to a news release, in April 2022 at NOX US LLC’s Fostoria, Ohio, plant, a worker, who had only been working at the company for six weeks, needed surgery after they were pulled around spindles on a plastic winding machine.
NOX US LLC, which employs about 200 people at the Fostoria site, was cited for eight willful, one repeat, six serious one other-than-serious violations and was issued a proposed penalty of $1,232,705. These citations were for “exposing workers to machine hazards, lacking personal protective equipment and failing to train their workers on safety hazards and precautions,” the news release said.
Inspectors also said that workers were exposed to caught-in and amputation hazards, due to a lack of prevention from “coming into contact with operating machine parts,” as well as trip and fall hazards, from unclean floors and “non-uniform stair risers,” OSHA said.
This is not the first injury stemming from machine safety procedures at the plant. Since 2017, six other workers were injured from a lack of following these procedures. And from February 2017 to now, an additional 13 were injured after being exposed to burn and amputation hazards. That year, the Fostoria plant was placed in OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program.
“NOX US LLC’s continued failure to correct previously identified hazards has led to another worker suffering severe and potentially life-altering injuries,” said OSHA Regional Administrator Bill Donovan in Chicago in the news release. “When an employer fails to ensure dangerous machines are guarded or de-energized properly, they show an indifference to worker safety, and the risk of serious injuries multiplies.”
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.