OSHA Cites Texas-Based Company for Safety Hazards Following Worker Accident
Madix Inc. now faces $158,051 in penalties.
- By Robert Yaniz Jr.
- Aug 23, 2023
Texas-based Madix Inc.—which manufactures metal and wood shelving and displays for retail outlets—has just come under scrutiny following an OSHA investigation into a serious workplace injury.
In a release dated August 22, OSHA revealed the agency identified a series of violations at the company’s Eclectic, Alabama facility. On March 23, 2023, a 20-year-old employee lost three fingers when attempting to adjust a coolant feed line on a tube saw. As he worked, his glove was ensnared, causing his hand to be dragged into the rotating saw blade.
As a result, OSHA cited Madix Inc. for two repeat, three serious and three other-than-serious violations, totaling $158,051 in proposed penalties. These include allowing employees to work on machinery without following lockout-tagout procedures, failure to train workers how to handle automatic tube cutters and leaving unguarded saws exposing workers to potential injury.
“A young man has suffered a life-altering injury simply because the employer failed to install machine guards and make sure to have lockout/tagout procedures in place to disable machinery,” OSHA Area Director Jose A. Gonzalez in Mobile, Alabama, said in a statement. “Madix’s failures in past inspections raise concerns about how seriously the company takes its obligation to provide employees with a safe and healthy workplace.”
Since 2018, OSHA inspections at Madix locations in Alabama and Texas have noted serious violations. In 2019, a similar amputation incident in Eclectic led to OSHA citing the company for three serious violations related to similar machine safeguarding and lockout/tagout failures. The company now has 15 business days to comply, request an informal or challenge OSHA’s findings.
About the Author
Robert Yaniz Jr. is the Content Editor of Occupational Health & Safety.