Pennsylvania Finishing Company Cited for Safety Hazards Following Worker Fatality

Pennsylvania Finishing Company Cited for Safety Hazards Following Worker Fatality

Vorteq Coil Finishers LLC faces $345,685 in proposed penalties.

Valencia, Pennsylvania-based finishing company Vorteq Coil Finishers LLC faces a proposed penalty of $345,685 from OSHA following an investigation into a worker fatality. 

According to a release dated March 11, the agency launched the investigation after a 46-year-old supervisor suffered fatal injuries in September 2023. The incident occured while the employee was cleaning a chrome roller on a coater machine when it was in operation. OSHA cited Vorteq Coil Finishers for two willful and two serious violations, including the failure to implement lockout/tagout procedures and the absence of machine guarding.

“Vorteq Coil Finishers’ failure to value employee safety created conditions that cost a worker his life,” OSHA Area Office Director Christopher Robinson in Pittsburgh said in a statement. “All evidence gathered during the inspection revealed that management employees at the highest level of the plant knew how dangerous it was to clean this machine while it was operating but required employees to do so to minimize downtime and maximize production.”

As a result of this investigation, Vorteq Coil Finishers LLC has joined OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program. The company now has 15 business days to comply with the citation and proposed penalties or contest the agency’s findings before an independent commission.

About the Author

Robert Yaniz Jr. is the Content Editor of Occupational Health & Safety.

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